The Perfect Lord: Harry James Potter
by datewithdestiny
Summary: Harry Potter as a Ravenclaw.His journey from the very start with the Dursleys till the end of the second war.Harry will lead the war his way. He is no one's puppet.Powerful,Ambitious,Intelligent & Political,ruthless to enemies and loyal to frnds.AU.
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER-1

PROLOGUE

The soft pitter patter of the rainfall was a thing of the past, as the rain had been crashing down with incredible force in the suburbs of Little Whinging, and in a house that looked no different than any other, especially to the casual observer, stood in a place where everything was normal, that house was Number 4, located on a street called Privet drive. It was clean-cut; the hedges were trimmed, the rose beds blossoming magnificently. The household was right now considered as the domain of the Dursleys. They were proud to say that they were completely normal. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything unnatural or abnormal, thank you very much.

Mr. Vernon Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. He was a big, out-of-proportion, obese man with hardly any neck. He also had a really large moustache. Quite frankly he looked a huge bit like walrus. He was one of those people who would just sit on an armchair reading a newspaper and criticizing everything from the government's administration to his boss to the people working under him to the neighbors to the plumbers etc...Etc...Etc.

Mrs. Petunia Dursley (nee Evans) was a very thin blonde with nearly twice the usual amount of neck which was quite useful in her favorite past time i.e. spying on her neighbors. She could have easily carried off a look of a giraffe. She was simply a housewife with an almost unnatural inclination towards keeping her house clean. She was one of those women who would never miss a chance to criticize and gossip about others but would do everything in her power to keep herself and her family out of them. She was quite jealous of those who were better than her in anything and was quite determined to put them down whether by hook or crook. From her point of view her husband and son were the best anyone could hope for and they couldn't do anything wrong in her eyes.

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley only had a single child, a son named Dudley. He was a spitting image of his father. He had the same round face with blonde hairs and big watery blue eyes. But with the way he was growing (more so in horizontal as compared to vertical direction) you could say that he would easily be giving quite a competition to a baby whale. He was totally spoilt by his mother and father who never refused anything he asked from them. He had gathered for himself a small group of children who were towards making of a gang with there only work was being creating trouble. So he was growing up to be a very lazy boy who just woke up either to eat, watch television, play videogame or bully small children.

There was one other member in the Dursley household but surprisingly he was not much welcomed in that house. He was considered as a sort of burden on the family. His name was Harry James Potter. He was the son of James and Lily Potter, Lily being the sister of Petunia. But unfortunately both of them died in a car crash on 1991'hallowe'en. The next day the Dursleys found Harry on their footsteps. From that day onwards Harry was staying with the Dursleys.

Harry Potter was a pale skinned boy of just above average height, having aristocratic features and just a bit out-of-control black hair with just a hint of red tint to it. However his most prominent feature was his eyes which were of an exotic green color. They glowed brightly when he was happy and turned dark when angered. He also possessed a distinct lightning shaped scar on his forehead which according to the Dursleys he received when he miraculously survived the car accident that killed his parents.

He'd lived with the Dursleys as long as he could remember, ever since he was a baby and his parents died in that car crash. He couldn't remember being in the car when his parents had died. Sometimes, when he strained his memory during long hours in his cupboard, all he came up with was a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain in his forehead. This he supposed was the car crash though he couldn't imagine where all the green light came from. He couldn't remember his parents at all. His aunt and uncle never talked about them, and of course he was forbidden from asking questions. There were no photographs of them in the house and he only knew their name because it had to be entered in the school records.

When Harry had been younger, he had dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take him away, but it had never happened and as the time went by his hope went on diminishing more and more. Yet sometimes he thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street seemed to know him. Very strange strangers they were too. A tiny man with a violet top hat had bowed to him once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley. After asking Harry furiously if he knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without a second glance. A wild looking woman dressed in all green had waved merrily at him once in a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken his hand in the street the other day and then walked away without saying a word. The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Harry tried to get a closer look.

Harry's bedroom was the cupboard under the stairs for his first five years. But later on the prompting of Petunia, Vernon shifted him to the attic. Harry was not ever abused per say but that doesn't mean that he received an ideal childhood. His uncle never really accepted his presence in the household and tried his best to totally ignore him. Harry felt hurt initially with it but later he came to realize that it was much better than other negative scenarios. But one thing that Harry always remembered was that even though he despised him, he still took Harry in his house when he could have sent him to the orphanage which Harry knew provided much worse living conditions. So he tried his level best to repay it by doing the given chores efficiently.

Harry never lived an easy life. As soon as he turned six, he was taught by his aunt how to cook, do the laundry, cleaning of the house and gardening. So from then on he was doing the chores regularly. He was given regular meals but after the Dursley ate. He also received clothing but it was never more than two sets. Even then Harry was satisfied because at least they were his. Whenever Harry required something out of ordinary like new clothes or stationary, he had to do additional chores and only then was he provided with that commodity. Then too, if Uncle Vernon was in a good mood. Unknowingly, the Dursleys instilled in him a virtue 'If you want something, you have to earn it because nobody owes you anything'. This was going to give him a distinct edge over other people in the future even if Harry hadn't realized it yet.

When Harry went to the school, one thing that very quickly came out was that Harry was quite intelligent. Initially when he scored marks higher than Dudley, the Dursleys were not in the least bit happy. They even accused him of cheating. But later on when he started receiving scholarship for school and stationery, Uncle Vernon decide that as long as he didn't bother them and additionally they did not have to pay for his education, he didn't care how he did in his school. So in the later years he very steadily started rising in his grades. Till the time he was ten years old he had passed grade eight as compared to Dudley who was in grade five.

According to the teachers, Harry was a really polite and well mannered boy. The hard work that he dedicated in his studies was not something that could be seen often. He was the favorite student of a lot of teachers. When talking about his academics, he was quite a good orator and had even won a debate championship on national level in his age group. He had also represented his country in an international level quiz competition leading it to a glorious victory. He was also a rather a frequent visitor in the library with a keen interest in history because he believed in the saying 'a wise man learns from the mistakes made by him in the past and make sure he dos not repeat them'. He also liked to learn different languages and could fluently speak French, Spanish and Latin.

Harry was not a bookworm. He was far from it. It was just that he understood the subjects easily. He was not just limited to academics. He was a brilliant sportsperson too. He got selected in the school football team at the age of seven as a midfielder and became the most important player of the team in just a few games. Harry had even succeeded in winning the inter-school trophy for two consecutive years. In order to be fit for the game he had also started running in the evening. Because of this physical labor and stress he had accumulated quite a body build which felt appropriate for an athlete or a dancer.

The thing that Harry despised or hated with true passion was his cousin Dudley Dursley. He was the bane of his existence. Dudley always tried making Harry's life hell but somehow Harry was able to escape pretty much unscathed. When they were about four years old, from then on Dudley never lost a chance to make Harry look bad in front of others.

The favorite game of Dudley and his friends was 'Harry hunting' where they used to catch him and then beat him. But then they reached school where Harry due to his intelligence got years ahead of him. This in turn reduced there quarrels but didn't totally stopped Dudley from bullying. In the initial years he made sure that no one would befriend Harry. But after Harry got two years ahead of Dudley, he got out of his area of influence and made a few friends. It was a great experience because Harry got a chance to converse with children of his age group and he really liked the feel of it. Then he started getting scholarship and collected a bit of money so that he could enjoy with his friends.

One more thing that troubled Harry a lot was the inconsistent behavior of Aunt Petunia. When Harry was young and she was teaching him how to cook a meal or how to do different chores around the house, she was someone who was a bit kind-hearted and treated him like he imagined how one aunt should treat her nephew. But at some instances she came out to be so cold and harsh that Harry got confused. Like sometimes when Harry got hurt because of Dudley she would treat him medically or take him to the doctor but she did it like she was forced to do it. She never even tried to stop Dudley from bullying him so her erratic behavior really confused the hell out of him. But still he felt hopeful that may be one day they could share a good relationship. Because whether he liked it or not, she was his last link to his mother.

As if this isn't enough, Harry felt that sometimes strange used to happen around him. Once, Aunt Petunia, tired, irritated and frustrated of Harry coming back from the barber's looking though he hadn't been there at all had taken a pair of scissors and cut his hair so short that he was almost bald. Dudley had laughed himself silly at his haircut. Harry spent sleepless night thinking about how other children were going to laugh at him in school. But fortunately for Harry, next morning he found that his hairs were exactly the same as they were before the cut. He could never figure out how he did it. He was given a lot more chores when he couldn't give a reason for this unnatural instance.

A few months later the hairs of Harry's classmate suddenly turned blue when he was making fun of one of Harry's favorite teachers. Similarly when he was running from Dudley and his gang, he found himself at the end of the alley with nowhere to go. He was so desperate that he somehow found himself on the other side of alley. Just on the last birthday of Dudley when they had to take him to the zoo because of unavailability of any baby-sitter, he found that he could talk to the snakes. Thank god no one knew about the last two instances because whenever something like that happened and Dursleys came to know about it, they became really angry.

These was the only time when he got worse punishments like no diet for a day or not being allowed to go to school for three days. One interesting thing he found out during these instances was that when Uncle Vernon was angry, his face color used to turn so fast that Harry was sure he could give a chameleon a run for money. His aunt on the other hand first made sure that not a single neighbor was listening and then had an ugly grimace on her face with veins almost popping out all over her neck.

After reviewing these incidents, Harry came to the conclusion that there was something different about him and one day he was going to find about it and disclose other secrets that were in the outside world waiting to be uncovered. What he didn't know was that the biggest secret or reality of his life was coming to greet him very soon.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER - 2

OWL POSTS!!WHAT THE 'BEEP'???

**16****th**** July, 2000**

It was a bright morning in Privet Drive. School session had ended therefore children could be seen in the playing ground and simply enjoying there summer vacations. Even the elders looked pretty relaxed. People could be seen jogging, doing yoga, reading newspaper or simply enjoying the fresh air. At the same time in the Dursley household Harry Potter was waking up from a very unusual dream. In the dream he was with a very huge person on a motorcycle and the most interesting thing was that he was flying.

"Well, I guess that is why it was a dream…."murmured Harry.

"UP, WAKE UP …..NOW" Harry heard his aunt's shrill voice.

"I'M UP" he replied loudly.

He quickly collected his bathroom accessories and went through his morning routine in the next fifteen minutes. He climbed down to find his aunt having tea.

"I want you to make bacon and don't you dare let it burn boy. And move fast. I want the breakfast on the table before Vernon comes down." said Aunt Petunia as soon as she noticed him.

"Yes Aunt Petunia" replied Harry.

He quickly completed making breakfast. It was actually his favorite chore of the day. He didn't have to worry about burning bacons because he was a really good cook and five years of practice had only made him better. He heard his uncle coming out of shower and hurriedly set up the table. Finally he came down after five minutes.

"Where is my newspaper boy?" he asked in a gruff manner which Harry was very used to.

Harry quickly supplied him the asked commodity and started cleaning the kitchen. Finally Dudley came down and attacked the breakfast with a passion. Harry didn't think he would find someone with such horrendous table manners. Just then he heard the click of mail box.

"What are you waiting for boy? Go and pick up the mail" said uncle Vernon.

Harry obediently went to get the post. Three things lay on the doormat: a postcard for Uncle Vernon from his sister Aunt Marge, who was holidaying on the Isle of Wight, a brown envelope that looked like a bill and-a letter for Harry.

Harry quickly picked it up and found his address (actually not just an address but an exact location). It was addressed so simply that there could never be a mistake. It read:

_ Mr. Harry Potter_

_ The Attic_

_ 4 Privet Drive_

_ Little Whinging _

_ Surrey_

The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was no stamp.

Turning the envelope over, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, a badger, an eagle and a snake surrounding a large letter 'H'.

"Hurry up, boy" shouted of Uncle Vernon. ''what are you doing, checking for letter-bombs?" He asked jokingly.

Harry quickly hid the letter in his trouser pocket. He wanted to read his mail while he was alone and this was not a good time.

Harry went back to the kitchen and quickly handed over the postcard and bill to Uncle Vernon. Uncle Vernon flipped over the bill snorting in disgust and flipped over the postcard.

"Marge's ill" Uncle Vernon announced." Ate something which didn't agree with her stomach."

After that nothing exciting happened at the breakfast. Harry finished his morning chores as quickly as possible. He wanted to read the letter as soon as he could. But it seemed like fate was against him as Aunt Petunia decided that today he had to clean the garage. Harry felt really impatient but knew that refusal was not an option. So he finished cleaning the garage as soon as he could.

Finally after two hours of hard work he was able to clean the garage. He quickly went to his room and sat on the bed. He hurriedly took out the letter and opened it. It read:

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY_

_Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore _

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc. Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._

_Yours sincerely, _

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

It also had an attachment to it which went like this:

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY_

Uniform

_First-year students will require:_

_Three sets of __plain__ work robes (black)_

_One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear_

_One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)_

_One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)_

_Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags_

Set Books

_All students should have a copy of each of the following:_

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) _by Miranda Goshawk_

A History of Magic _by Bathilda Bagshot_

Magical Theory _by Adalbert Waffling_

A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration _by Emeric Switch_

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_ by Phyllida Spore_

Magical Drafts and Potions_ by Arsenius Jigger_

Fantastic beasts and Where to Find Them_ by Newt Scamander_

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection_ by Quentin Trimble_

Other Equipment

_1 wand_

_1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)_

_1 set glass or crystal phials_

_1 telescope_

_1 set brass scales_

_Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad_

_PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST-YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS_

He stared at the letter for a long time and suddenly burst out laughing. "What a great joke, I didn't know Dudley possessed that much brain to create this hoax. He must have had some help from others because this is just too much for his tiny brain cells. And did he actually think that I would fall for it? I guess even I underestimated his level of stupidity."

Harry decided that he won't even react a single bit to it. For the rest of the day he went on with his normal routine. He finished his entire chores and went for the evening run as per his schedule. He felt a bit surprised when he didn't receive any sort of inclination or hint from Dudley but decided that he must have given up too.

The next day he started similarly but what surprised him very much was that he received one more letter. He was a bit perturbed but once again decided to ignore it. He got similar letters for next three days with their quantity multiplying. It was even becoming difficult to hide them from the Dursleys.

Finally after a week of consistent arrival of letters he sat down on the bed. Now he had come to realize that this was something that was too much even for Dudley. Then he remembered all those incidents that happened with him. Could it be possible that it was all due to '_magic'? _But why did anyone not tell him? Of course how could he be that stupid? Dursleys despised anything remotely unnatural. They would never tell him about it willingly. He decided that he would ask about it from his aunt this afternoon when they would be alone. With this problem at least at bay he went on with his chores.

Finally after Dudley had finished his lunch (more like food for at least four people) and went to his friends' place, there was only Harry and Aunt Petunia left in the house. After they both completed their meals, Harry decided that this would be the ideal time to ask him about it.

"Umm….Aunt Petunia?" he asked tentatively.

"What is it?" she asked while facing him.

He started to explain not knowing how to proceed "Well, you see there was something that I wanted to tell you for a few days but didn't know how…"

"Just come out with it boy. I don't have all the day to waste on you" she interrupted harshly.

"I received a letter from some school named Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry and don't know what to make of it. Initially I thought that Dudley was playing a prank on me but……." He stopped speaking as he saw his aunt turning paler and paler.

"So it is true then. I have magic. That is why Uncle Vernon hates me so much. Isn't it?" said Harry with dawning comprehension.

"My parents! They had magic too didn't they? That is why you don't talk about them. Am I right?" he said as everything clicked in place.

Aunt Petunia had actually started shaking. "Aunt Petunia? Are you alright?" harry asked a bit worried.

"I don't know what you are talking about." She said unconvincingly.

"Both of us know you are speaking a lie Aunt Petunia" Harry said with conviction.

For a few minutes nobody spoke. Then suddenly Aunt Petunia started speaking in a monotone "I and lily had always been what you call as close sisters. Even if I was a year older than her we did everything together. No one could ever break us apart. For the first eleven years we never had any serious fights and our parents loved both of us equally. Even if she was more lively, beautiful and intelligent than me, I never felt jealous. In fact I felt proud of her. So there was never any animosity between us. But when I was nine year old and we were playing in a park, a boy named Sev found us and told lily that she was a witch. He had once seen her performing some magic. Initially we were a bit skeptical but after a few demonstrations we accepted it. From then on lily started spending more time with him asking about _that_ world. He became her best friend and I just her sister."

"Then came her eleventh birthday. That day we received a visitor. She was a professor at Hogwarts School of magic. My parents didn't believe her at first but after a few examples they agreed to send her to Hogwarts. She then told us that lily was a witch and Hogwarts was offering her a place to learn. We all were really excited but then lily asked why I didn't receive a letter? Even I hadn't thought about it. Professor told that I didn't had magic in me. I was devastated. I even sent a letter a letter to headmaster but he refused."

"From then on year after year we drifted more apart. She used to send frequent letters via owls telling about that world and her experiences. Both of us tried but could never achieve that closeness. She made new and closer friends at Hogwarts but I was never able to. There she met a boy named James Potter whom she fell in love with and right after graduating from school they married. I too married Vernon here and since then our contact was minimal at best because Vernon just hated the concept of anything unnatural."

"At that time, the wizarding world was going through a war against a dark wizard. One night just after my marriage, James' parents invited my parents at their home for dinner. That same night the dark wizards attacked them and both sets of your grandparents died that night. At their funeral I had a huge fight with lily and blamed her for their death. After that we never had a chat. She tried a lot of times by sending a few letters but I never replied. In the last letter she wrote that she was going into hiding and won't be able to write anymore."

"That was the last letter I received from her because after a few days I found you on my doorstep with a letter informing that your parents had died and you had survived because your mother gave her life to save you. Also somehow that dark wizard had died too and the war had come to an end. As I was your last blood relative you were sent here to live with me." She finished her explanation with a sigh.

All through her explanation both of them had smiled and cried together. They were experiencing a myriad of emotions. Harry was totally shocked. Never in his wildest dream had he been able to imagine all this. _I am a wizard. _Thatwasthe thought running through his mind. But then suddenly a lot questions started going through his mind but he couldn't ask them as he was not allowed to ask questions. It must have shown on his face as Aunt Petunia said "You may ask whatever you want to because I think the least I can give you is answers."

The first question that came out of Harry's mouth was "Why do you hate me?"

Aunt Petunia was a bit shocked by his bluntness and took some time to get settled. Then she replied "I have never hated you. I just don't want to attach myself to you because I know one day or other you have to go to your real world and I don't think I would be able to absorb another heart-break."

Harry was a bit surprised by the answer but he felt a bit relieved that she didn't hate him. There was one more question that was burning in his mind "Why did you not tell me anything about magic and lied to me about my parents?"

She took some time and then spoke"Why would I tell you anything about magic? I hate magic with everything in my heart. It took away from me my best friend, sister and parents. It tore apart my whole family. So I thought I would try to ignore it as much as possible. And as for the truth about your parents, what should I have told you? That your parents were murdered by a psychopath bent on world domination?" she ended sarcastically.

Harry was a bit surprised by her tone but understood that she must be going through emotional hara-kiri. He then cautiously asked "So what should I do now that I have received a letter?"

"Well, you will find an owl outside the house because that is how they communicate. Just tie your acceptance letter at her talons and they will take it to that school of yours." She replied.

"What, they use owls to send messages? And how do you know that I am going to accept it?"Asked Harry a little dubiously.

"Yes, the wizards still use owls. In fact you will find that they still live as we lived in eighteenth century. As for how I know of your decision, you have more of your mother in you then you could even imagine." She said with moist eyes.

Harry was a bit shocked and most definitely pleased with comparison to his mother. Both of them suddenly came to realize that they were so much into the conversation that they didn't notice how much time had passed. Uncle Vernon was due to home in just an hour and they hadn't even started on dinner.

Harry got up and went to his aunt and hugged her a bit tentatively but when he felt her returning it, he squeezed her in a hard hug. Then he parted and looked into her moist eyes and said "Thanks for talking to me today. You don't know how much it means to me."

His aunt teared up a little more and said "I have never felt this much relaxed since Lily died. I guess I needed to take that burden off me. So thank you too."

Harry was a bit shocked once again but just nodded a little and went off for his evening run. Throughout his run he thought about the conversation and decided that he was going to send the acceptance letter as soon as he can.

That night harry wrote his acceptance letter to the deputy headmistress and tied it to the owl which he saw was sitting on his window. The next few days went without a hitch. Harry and his aunt had decided not to tell his uncle about it right now. Harry also noticed that his relationship with his aunt had improved quite a bit and she never snapped on him like she used to earlier. So for once things were looking up for him and he felt completely content for the first time in his life.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: **This time I have tried to remember about capitalization and grammar. But if there is some mistake, please keep in mind that this is my first ever story. I thank my reviewers for pointing out this and for the help. Thanks guys and keep on responding to the story.

CHAPTER-3

INTRODUCTION TO WIZARDING WORLD

**25****th**** July, 2000**

The heat was increasing with time. People were getting impatient waiting for rain to come. On this sunny day Harry Potter woke up from his sleep and went down to make breakfast. Harry quickly finished his chores of the day which took most of the morning. After that he finished his lunch and went back to his room. There he found a surprise waiting for him. There sitting on his bed was an owl carrying a small box. He quickly went up to it and untied the parcel. He opened it carefully and found a few envelopes in it.

The first letter went like this:

_Dear Mr. Harry Potter_

_We have received your acceptance letter and therefore are sending you few pamphlets and documents which gives you a brief outlook of our world. So please read it carefully as it will answer a great deal of questions you must be having._

_Also, on 30__th__ July__, at 12 o'clock__ you will receive a visit from a school representative who would then escort you to Diagon Alley where you will get all the things that you require for the school session._

_Have a good day._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry _

After reading the letter Harry got really excited and quickly browsed through the received documents. He found out about the ministry, its various departments, and its jurisdiction i.e. the Wizengamot and the current holders of important offices. He also found out a document detailing the history, infrastructure, subjects and future prospects. After reading about the description of Hogwarts he didn't think he would be able to wait for that long.

A permanent smile had plastered on his face for whole day. When Aunt Petunia saw him, she just smiled while shaking her face remembering how Lily had been the same too. The next day after having lunch, Aunt Petunia called Harry to her room and gave him a carton.

"This box contains a few things of Lily that I have, but I think you would appreciate them much more. So keep it with you. Consider this as your advance birthday gift from your aunt." She said with a smile.

Harry was shocked. He was viewing the box as if it was a bible. He slowly and very carefully took it out of his Aunt's hands and gave her a one armed hug, his eyes just watering a bit. He quickly wiped his eyes before a tear could escape and said a heartfelt 'thank you' to her.

He turned around to leave but just as he reached the door he looked at his aunt and said "This is the best birthday gift that anyone could have ever asked for." And with that he went to his room.

As soon as he reached his room, he started opening the box. Inside the box he found a bunch of letters, a photo album and the blanket in which he came here. He quickly pulled out the album and opened it to find himself looking at a newborn baby. As he turned the snaps, he found his mother at various stages of her life. He saw her first walk, her sitting on the swing laughing with Aunt Petunia, her first day to school, in the Hogwarts uniform and various other snaps. In the last pages he found the snaps of his parents. He quickly noticed that he looked a lot like his father but had his mother's eyes. His mother was very beautiful and her eyes shined with intelligence. On the other hand his father looked handsome too but with mischievousness shining in his hazel eyes. His hairs were much wilder than Harry's for which he was thankful. All in all, for the first time Harry felt that his parents were much more than just names.

Next few days were like years for Harry. He had read all the pamphlets multiple times and was waiting for the school representative with great impatience. Finally the day arrived. Harry considered it the most important day of his life. The aunt and nephew had decided that they would not tell Uncle Vernon anything and would let the school representative explain everything.

That day Harry woke up really excited. He remembered how he went to meet his friends yesterday and they gave him best wishes and gifts for his birthday as today he would not be able to go celebrate with them. He quickly got ready for the day in his best clothes and spent a bit more then usual time in front of the mirror as he wanted to look the best he could. Since today was a Sunday, Uncle Vernon was home and reading newspaper a bit more thoroughly as compared to other days. He quickly prepared breakfast and did all his chores by eleven.

The last hour felt like a year to Harry. He revised the pamphlets one more time, did a few extra chores, cleaned his room once more and finally just sat down on his bed. He waited a few more minutes and suddenly the bell rang and he ran down at full speed to open the door and to his utter dismay found a salesman. He quickly told him he did not want anything and shut the door on his face in anger. As he reached the topmost stair on his way back to the door, bell once again rang. This time Harry got even more angry, went downstairs, opened the door and screamed on top of his lungs,

"WE ARE NOT INTERESTED IN ANYTHING YOU HAVE FOR US. SO PICK YOUR SKINNY ARSE AND……" Harry's mouth had gone slack as for the first time he saw not the salesman but a lady who looked to be in her fifties. She was wearing a long cloak which he guessed could be called robes of bottle green color. Both of them opened and closed their mouths for a few moments till the voice of Uncle Vernon took them out of stupor."Who is it, boy?" he asked.

Harry turned to face her and found a stern face looking down at him. It seems she only required few moments to regain her composer. She asked in a very stern voice,

"Are you by any chance Harry Potter?"

"Yes, I am Harry Potter" he replied a bit nervously.

"Thought so" she mumbled to herself, and then drew herself to her full height before continuing, "Mr. Potter, my name is Minerva McGonagall. I am the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." She introduced herself.

'Oh shit! What a way to give a first impression!' this was the only thought going through Harry's mind.

Harry calmed himself a bit and then spoke' "Hello Madam McGonagall. Sorry for earlier. It's just that the salesman was frustrating me a lot, so I….er…please come in." he said remembering his manners.

After she entered the house he asked her a bit curiously, "How did you know that I was Harry?"

"I have taught your parents and knew them well enough and you look a lot like your father that I didn't had any problem identifying you." She said with a small smile.

"Really, how…." Harry was speaking excitedly when he was interrupted by his uncle's voice,

"Who was it, boy? And why were you yelling?" harry quickly said in hushed voice to professor," he doesn't know that you will be coming. I thought may be you would explain him better?"

Professor McGonagall pursed her lips but nodded all the same.

Harry went into the sitting area and said "uncle Vernon, there is someone out there to meet you."

His uncle looked up and said "then what are you waiting for, call them in quickly."

Harry went to Professor McGonagall and took her to his uncle.

As soon as Uncle Vernon saw her, he rose from the armchair he was sitting on and shouted,

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? YOUR KIND IS NOT WELCOME IN MY HOUSE."

"Mr. Dursley, my name is Minerva McGonagall. I am the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Our school has offered a place to Mr. Potter so that he could learn to utilize his gift and become a responsible wizard." Professor McGonagall spoke not even a bit fazed with his Uncle's greeting.

"I DO NOT WANT YOU TO SPEAK ABOUT THAT HOCUS-POCUS OF YOURS IN MY HOUSE. GET OUT FROM HERE BEFORE I CALL THE POLICE AND CHARGE YOU FOR BREAKING AND ENTERING." Replied his Uncle, his color turning beet red.

"Harry Potter has his name written in our records since the time he was born. So there is nothing you can do about it." She said in a no-nonsense voice.

"I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT FOOLS TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS."Uncle Vernon roared turning purple.

"His fee has already been paid for all seven years by his parents, so you don't need to spend money for the school." She argued.

Before Uncle Vernon could start shouting once more, Aunt Petunia placed a hand on his shoulder. She then asked for him to talk to her in private. They went to the parlor and as soon as she shut the door, she said "I think we should let him go to that school of his."

Vernon eyes went round. He said "But we had decided while taking him in that we would keep him away from all that rubbish. Don't you remember?"

"I do, but now they have already found us and they won't let us live our lives normally till we agree to send him to that school. And think about it like this, we don't have to pay for his schooling and he would be away at that school of his for nine months and only come here for his summer vacations. So we are almost getting rid of him. Isn't this what we always wanted? We shouldn't let this chance get out of our hands." She explained using all her cunning.

Vernon pondered on her reasoning for a few moments and finally a grin broke out on his face. He said "You are a genius Petunia. I always knew I married you for a reason. I think you are completely right. I will go and tell her that we will allow the boy to go to their school."

With that both of them walked to the sitting room to find Professor McGonagall sitting on a sofa and surveying her surroundings. As Harry's eyes met his aunt's, she said nothing and just gave him a wink which he understood meant her success. Uncle Vernon cleared his throat and said in a gruff voice "I have decided that I will allow him to be sent to that school of yours. Now take him, and go away from my house as soon as possible because I don't want you to further waste my time."

"It would most certainly be my pleasure to get away from people like you." She said with as much disgust as she could.

As she started rising, Dudley came inside after enjoying free time with his friends. As soon as she saw him she asked Uncle Vernon "Is he your son?"

"Yup, a very good boy, don't you think?" he said proudly.

Professor McGonagall snorted in disgust and said "When I was coming here, I saw him bullying small children but I neglected it because there was nothing I could do. And after your rude behavior I really wanted to teach you a lesson. It seems I found out just what I need to do."

And with that she pointed her wand towards Dudley's back and gave it a flick. As an effect a pig tail sprouted out of his back. All the Dursleys screamed as one, completely terrified. On the other hand Harry was rolling on the floor laughing very hard and clutching both sides of his stomach. He didn't remember the last time he laughed so hard.

"Every time he bullies someone he will sprout a pigtail for a day. So the only way to get rid or it is by not bullying. Also if you ever decide to blame Harry for his problem, you will find yourself facing a witch who can change you in any animal of her choice." As if to prove the point she turned into a tabby cat for few moments and then changed into her usual self. Harry was very surprised and looking at her in awe. He just wanted to ask her how he himself could do it. By now all the Dursleys were hiding behind the couch not wanting to face the irate witch. She had an expression of satisfaction on her face and seemed to be quite pleased with her work.

"Are you ready to go Mr. Potter?" she asked him.

"Yes ma'am." Harry replied quickly.

Harry was a bit intimidated after seeing the way she handled his family. He felt that the Dursleys deserved whatever they got. He knew that whatever may happen he would never be able to forgive them for the way he was treated in his childhood. Now coming to the present Harry found himself following Professor McGonagall down the road towards the alley.

After coming to a secluded spot, she turned towards Harry and said "Whatever actions that I performed will not be discussed anywhere else. Do you get it?" Harry nodded and said nothing.

"We have to go to Diagon Alley where you will get everything you need for the school year. Now I'm going to call Knight Bus. This is a kind of wizarding transport that many people use everyday. To call it you just have to put your wand out and give it a flick.

Then she did the aforementioned actions and there was a deafening BANG AND out of nowhere a violently purple colored triple decker bus appeared. A conductor in a purple uniform leapt out of bus and began speaking loudly, "Welcome to the Knight bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch and wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor for the day."

"Diagon Alley for two." Professor said in a clipped voice.

"Of course, Professor McGonagall. A galleon and five sickles, but for four more you get either hot chocolate or hot-water bottle with toothbrush." Stan answered in a bored voice.

Professor just nodded and quickly handed over the required amount and boarded on bus after Harry. They quickly found two seats.

"Take 'er away Ern." Came the shout of Stan.

With a bang Knight Bus started moving. Harry found himself flattened in his chair and held onto it strongly. Harry was looking out of the window, feeling increasingly nervous. Ernie didn't seem to have mastered the use of steering wheel. The Knight Bus kept mounting the pavement, but it didn't hit anything; lines lamp posts, letter boxes and bins jumped out of the way as it approached and back into position after it passed. Throughout the journey Harry kept asking the Professor more about Hogwarts and she didn't seem a least bit irritated with him at the barrage of questions. Harry found out that she taught Transfiguration which was a branch of magic of changing one thing to other. Finally after twenty minutes they arrived at their destination and filed out of it. Harry found himself looking at a tiny, grubby-looking pub.

"Expecting a bit more weren't you. The name is Leaky Cauldron. It has to be kept a bit shabby because we don't want any extra attention from the muggles. Now through this is the entrance to Diagon alley." Said Professor in an understanding voice. With that she steered him inside.

For a famous place, it was very dark and shabby. A few old women were sitting in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of sherry. One of them was smoking a long pipe. A little man in a top hat was talking to the old barman, who was quite bald and looked like a gummy walnut. The low buzz of chatter stopped when they walked in. everyone seemed to know her; they waved and smiled at her to which she nodded and went along. Finally she reached the barman who was talking to two other men. One was a pale young man wearing purple turban while the other was a giant of a man with his face almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild tangled beard, with eyes glinting like black beetles under all the hair.

"Hello Professor McGonagall. Escorting a new kid, eh? I have something to do for Professor Dumbledore at Gringotts but I thought I could do with the drink." Said the giant man.

"Then you should have finished it while you were still sober. Alright then come with me. I am going to Gringotts too." she commanded. The giant man flushed a little but nodded all the same and started getting up.

The barman called out to Professor, "Can I get anything for you Professor McGonagall?"

"No Tom, its official business and we are just…" professor started but was interrupted by a gasp. The barman had just got his eyes on Harry and was staring at him in awe.

"Bless my soul," whispered the old barman. "Is this… can this be-?"

"Yes, he is Harry Potter, now if you would please excuse us." She said in a low voice briskly while the barman grabbed Harry's hand and was shaking it enthusiastically.

"WHAT? HE HAS GROWN UP A LOT. LAST TIME I SAW YOU, YOU WERE A LITTLE TYKE." Said the giant man while shaking Harry's hand with tears protruding through his eyes. His loud voice captured the attention of quite a few patrons who seemed to be staring in their direction. Professor McGonagall quickly intervened before the giant man could do anything else.

"Hagrid! Control yourself and lower your voice. We don't want a commotion here." She then turned to Harry and said "Mr. Potter, meet Rubeus Hagrid. He is the Gamekeeper of Hogwarts. Also, the one behind him is Professor Quirrell. He teaches Defense against the Dark Arts." She said referring to the man with purple turban. He quickly came and introduced himself personally while shaking his hand while stuttering.

Harry didn't know much about the subject Defense against the Dark Arts, but somehow the stuttering man didn't look like he could defend himself against anything.

Finally Professor McGonagall steered him away while motioning to Hagrid to follow them. She led him through the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but a dustbin and a few weeds. Professor McGonagall took out her wand again and began counting the bricks in the wall above the dustbin. When she found the brick she was looking for she tapped it three times with the point of her wand. The brick quivered, a small hole appeared in the middle – it grew wider and wider – a second later it was an archway large enough even for Hagrid, which led to a sight resulting in Harry's mouth to open in astonishment.

To be continued……..


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note: **Once again thanks to all the reviewers for their opinions. I was asked in one of them about timeline. Yes, my timeline is ten years ahead of J.. Please keep sending more reviews.

CHAPTER 4

DIAGON ALLEY-I

To say Harry was amazed by Diagon Alley was putting it mildly. Diagon Alley itself was a sight to see. It was a nice street, wider than most city avenues and long, reaching out into the distance where the road led to the circular cul-de-sac at the end. The street was cobblestone and the shops and homes to either side were old fashioned in their coloring and appearance. There were book shops, pet shops and shops for strange things that Harry had never heard of. Commerce was in full swing as families went about their business, shopping and gossiping with a will.

Diagon Alley was practically teeming with the hustle and bustle of a busy morning commune. Guild shops and fashion stores had thrown open their doors, attracting their fair share of the wizarding public. Along the winding streets and thoroughfares, small vendors peddled their goods from under the eves of their tents, exchanging pleasantries with customers and passerby alike

Hagrid was beaming at his awe-filled face. "Welcome to Diagon Alley" he boomed happily.

This quickly bought them out of the stupor and they started moving through the crowd towards a snowy-white building that towered over the other little shops, which Professor McGonagall told was Gringotts, the wizarding bank and the first stop of the day.

"Yeh'd be mad ter try n' rob it. Goblins are quite vicious." Commented Hagrid.

Continuing with the explanation she said, "Gringotts is the safest building in Britain just after Hogwarts. It is run by the goblins, who are always considered warriors and they have exceptional security measures to make it the safe. Because of this, the people all over the wizarding Britain trust them with their fortune. What you must remember, though, is that the goblins are very cunning, aggressive and prideful race. So when dealing with them try to treat them with respect and make sure what you are committing to."

Harry vowed to always remember but at the thought of money Harry became a bit uncomfortable and asked the Professor, "Um – Professor McGonagall? I haven't got any money – and you heard Uncle Vernon – he won't pay for me to go and learn magic. So how am I going to pay for all the school accessories? I have some money that I saved from the scholarships I received, but I don't think that is enough. Is there a chance of me getting a scholarship?"

"Your parents have left a _small amount_ of money for you in the bank. Let's see if this would be enough for your school years." She said with corners of her mouth twitching and eyes shining with amusement. Hagrid too was trying to hide his smile but his occasional snickering made sure he could not succeed. With that they reached the doors of the bank.

On the huge burnished bronze door stood two goblins, one on each side of the door wearing full armors and carrying huge axes. They were about a head shorter than Harry. They all had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, Harry noticed, very long fingers and feet.

They bowed to the visitors when they entered and Harry bowed back thinking to be a bit more respectful. Goblins eyes widened a little in surprise but soon the poker face was back in place. Inside was a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them:

_Enter, stranger, but take heed_

_Of what awaits the sin of greed_

_For those who take, but do not earn,_

_Must pay most dearly in their turn,_

_So if you seek beneath our floors_

_A treasure that was never yours,_

_Thief, you have been warned, beware_

_Of finding more than treasure there._

A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins on brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and goblins were showing people in and out of these. Harry, Professor McGonagall and Hagrid made way to a free counter.

"Good Morning." Said Professor to a free goblin. "We would like to withdraw some money out of Harry Potter's trust vault."

"You have his key, madam?" he said in a scratchy voice.

"Yes" with that Professor quickly pulled out a small golden key and handed it over to him.

The goblin looked at it closely and with a satisfied nod said, "This seems to be in order."

"Oh, wait. I've also got a letter from Professor Dumbledore." Hagrid said importantly, puffing out his chest. Hagrid began searching his pockets for the key. The goblin was watching disdainfully as Hagrid dumped a handful of mouldy dog biscuits on the counter, and people all around him wrinkled their nose. At last Hagrid pulled out a letter with 'confidential' written all over it. "It's about the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen." Harry thought that wizards really liked to confuse people with their You-Know-Who's and You-Know-Whats, when you _didn't _know who and what. But the goblin seemed to know. He read the letter carefully and called for another goblin named 'Griphook' to take Hagrid to the You-don't- know-what in vault seven hundred and thirteen.

"What's the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen?" Harry asked while Professor McGonagall was out of hearing range.

"Can't tell yeh that," Hagrid said mysteriously. "Top secret. Hogwarts business. More'n my job's worth ter tell yeh that."

All three of them quickly followed Griphook They went through the doors and found themselves in a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. It sloped steeply downwards and there were little railway tracks on the floor. Griphook and the other goblin whistled and a small cart came hurtling up the tracks towards them. They climbed in the cart with Griphook and went off. Harry had never been in a rollercoaster, but he thought that the cart ride resembled one, if only there were loopings...

It seemed both the elders were not the least bit excited about the ride if anything could be presumed from their flinching faces. The cart started slowly, gaining speed consistently while taking sharp turns left and right. Finally it was moving at a high speed. They hurtled through a maze of passages. Harry tried to remember left, right, right, left but realized that it was impossible. The rattling cart seemed to know its way because Griphook wasn't steering it.

Cold air was passing against them but Harry kept his eyes open. He was thoroughly enjoying the ride and did not want to miss a single moment of it. He thought he saw a flame of fire and quickly moved to see it but till then it was out of sight.

"Are their dragons here?" Harry asked.

"Yes, they are here along with a few other creatures for security." Griphook replied with pride since neither Professor nor Hagrid were in any condition to answer what with their green faces and them holding the cart with all their strength.

The cart stopped at last beside a small door in the passage wall. Griphook, Harry and Professor McGonagall quickly mounted out of the cart while Hagrid remained in the cart. Griphook unlocked the door and waved Harry in. they entered the vault. Inside the vault Harry saw mounds of golden, columns of silver and heaps of little bronze coins. Harry simply stared; he had never seen so much money in his whole life.

"Um, sir?" Harry didn't know how to address the goblin. "Could you explain how this monetary system works?"

"The gold ones are Galleons, the silver ones are Sickles and the Bronze ones are Knuts." The goblin explained. "Seventeen silver goes into one Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle."

"And what is the total amount that I possess?" asked Harry wanting to know about his financial situation.

"In this Vault you have approximately 50,000 galleons." Said Griphook.

Harry was amazed at the amount but asked, "What do you mean 'this vault'?"

"Well, this is not the only vault you inherit. If you want to know about all other vaults I will take you to your account manager" He replied.

"I think that would be better." Said Professor McGonagall who by now was just standing on the side.

Harry quickly scooped a few handfuls of galleons into a bag that was provided by Griphook. He was just turning to leave when he caught sight of a box behind the coins. Harry moved towards it to find a trunk with 'Harry' written on it.

His heart skipped a beat. This must have been placed here by his parents for him. He called out, "Professor, I found a trunk with my name on it. Could you please assist me in opening it?"

She was surprised to see the trunk but just nodded and tapped it with her wand. Where a small box was just moments ago stood now appeared a big trunk. They opened it to find the trunk containing a few leather bound notebooks, books, photo albums, a wrapped gift and an envelope.

"This must be what your parents would have wanted you to have. I can see some textbooks with scribbling on the margins. They may help you in the school work because James was quite exceptional at Transfiguration while Lily was a natural at Charms and Potions." She advised wisely.

"Can you shrink it back so that I could carry it easily?" asked Harry.

McGonagall did not respond but just tapped it with her wand while muttering an incantation. "From now on you can expand and shrink at the tap of your wand." She said with satisfaction.

With a small "thank you" from Harry they mounted the cart and moved to the next vault. They finally reached it and Hagrid quickly went and retrieved the 'you-know-what' from it. One wild cart ride later they stood in the lobby of Gringotts.

"The account manager of Potter's is waiting for you." Griphook said. McGonagall told Hagrid to wait outside and steered Harry to follow the goblin. They reached an office where they saw an elderly goblin sitting behind the desk. He dismissed Griphook and asked them to sit.

"Hello Mr. Potter. My name is Stonegrasp. I have been the account manager of the Potter family for sixty years. What can I do for you?"

Harry was a bit surprised by the introduction but didn't let it show and confidently said "Sir, I just came to know that I have more than one vault in your prestigious bank. So I would like a complete summary of what I own."

"Wait a minute Mr. Potter." With that he moved to where a few ledgers were stored. He took out one of them and handed it over to him. "This contains summary of what you inherit."

Harry opened it and found a sheet of paper. It read:

**HARRY POTTER TRUST FUND**

48,246 Galleons

22,408 Sickles

32,908 Knuts

**JAMES POTTER VAULT**

3,125,796 Galleons

5,373 Sickles

12,347 Knuts

**LILY POTTER (NEE EVANS) VAULT**

2,243,434 Galleons

23,474 Sickles

49,837 Knuts

**POTTER FAMILY VAULT**

7,267,337 Galleons

24,373 Sickles

37,383 Knuts

Books, family jewels, furniture and other trinkets.

**PROPERTIES**

26, HIGH STREET, GODRIC'S HOLLOW

POTTER MANOR, WALES

PRIVATE VILLA, NICE, FRANCE

POTTER HOUSE, FORKS, WASHINGTON, USA

23, DIAGON ALLEY, LONDON

**STOCKS**

OLLIVANDERS 15%

NIMBUS BROOMSTICKS 20%

ODGEN'S FIREWHISKEY 14%

DAILY PROPHET 18%

WITCH WEEKLY 24%

PUDDLEMORE UNITED 28%

BUTTERBEER 32%

MADAM MALKIN'S 12%

ZONKO'S 32%

"Some other small investments have also been made along with them but these are the major ones." Supplied Stonegrasp helpfully.

Harry was a tad bit overwhelmed but decided not to show it to others.

He acted cool towards it. "Why are my parents' and Potter vault different?" he asked curiously.

"Their individual vaults only contain the money earned by them. It happens with all the responsible families. Family vault only contains what is earned by the ancestors." The goblin responded.

"Then please merge both my parent's vaults in the family vault. I don't want to occupy more vaults then needed." Harry said. Stonegrasp just nodded his consent.

"I would also like to receive monthly vault statements. I know how much money matters. And I won't let the hard work that my family performed to earn the money and along with it prestige in drain. Also I would like it if you can recommend me the companies which you feel can make profit for me, because the more I grow rich, the more you will prosper." Harry finished with a smirk..

"It will be done Mr. Potter. It seems I'm going to enjoy working with you." Said Stonegrasp showing off his pointy teeth.

"What else is expected of me?" asked Harry knowing that much wealth must have come with some responsibilities.

"At the age of eleven you are allowed to take care of your investments since you are the last known Potter. But you will not be able to enter till you are fifteen. Also at that age you will be eligible to become the Lord Potter. At the age of fourteen you are expected to start socializing means going out to balls and parties and also to attend Wizengamot sessions so that you become used to the procedures before claiming your seat." Stonegrasp explained patiently.

"What do you think Professor McGonagall?" asked Harry surprising her since she was just watching the proceedings and did not expect to be put into spotlight.

"Family name is a very important part of wizarding world, Mr. Potter. It makes you strong and provides you both allies and enemies. As much as I loathe admitting, people who have the backing of an old family find a lot more doors open to them. Also it would help you in getting out of trouble if you find yourself somehow being used by others." She imparted her wisdom.

"Okay then, I will make sure that I fulfill all my duties." Said Harry resolutely.

With that both Harry and Professor McGonagall exited the bank. When they were out of the doors of Gringotts, they found Hagrid coming towards them carrying a cage which contained an owl. He came up to them and said "Happy birthday, Harry"

"come on, tak' it." He said to Harry motioning towards the bird when he saw Harry was just staring. Slowly Harry took it still staring at the bird in wonder.

He kept thanking Hagrid and Professor McGonagall when he found out that they both had planned it. Both of them just waved it away, and Hagrid said "Don' mention it. Just remember to send me letters."

With that Professor McGonagall told Hagrid to go back to Hogwarts. Professor and Harry decided to first take care of clothes. So they moved towards Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions. Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve.

When she saw them, she hurriedly came over and said "Good Evening Professor McGonagall." Professor smiled a little and replied "Good Evening, Martha. I have a first year with me. Would you mind assisting him in getting the required uniform?" Then Madam Malkin looked at Harry and said "Of course, come here dear?"

Suddenly her eyes widened at seeing his scar. She gasped and enthusiastically started shaking his hand.

"Harry Potter! Oh, Merlin I can't believe my good fortune. It's a real pleasure meeting you." To say Harry was surprised is an understatement. He was really confused and didn't know how to react. Before he could feel more uncomfortable Professor McGonagall came to his aid and said quite sharply

"Stop harassing the boy Martha. He is just eleven."

Madam Malkin composed herself quickly and smiled sheepishly while saying "Sorry for that. I just didn't expect you in my shop. So please forgive me?"

"Its alright I guess" said Harry while thinking 'It's not as if I could say that I won't forgive you for practically jumping on me'.

"What type of clothe do you want your robes to be made of?"

"Umm….what do you have?" Harry asked.

"Well we have different types of fabrics ranging from the normal cotton to acromantula silk. What would you like your robes to be made of." She said quickly regaining her shopkeeper's mode.

Harry chose a high quality silk fabric for his robes. He knew he was going a little overboard but thought that with the huge amount of fortune he had, he could afford to spoil himself a little. She took him to the back of the shop for measurements where a boy with a pale, pointed face was standing on a footstool while he was being fitted. He looked towards Harry and asked "Hogwarts too?"

Harry just nodded standing on the stool next to him while Madam Malkin started taking his measurements.

"My father is next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands." The boy spoke in a bored, drawling voice. "After that I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I think it's ridiculous that first-years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow."

Harry simply nodded knowing that there was a wizarding game played on broomsticks.

"Do you have your own broom?" he asked curiously.

"No, but I might next year if I find out that I'm good at it." Harry replied after thinking. Actually Harry was very excited when he read about the game in the pamphlets and wanted to give a try.

"So you don't play Quidditch?" Harry didn't have time to answer before the boy was talking again. "I do, and I'm quite good, Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my house. Know what house you'll be in yet?"

"No. the sorting takes place at the opening feast doesn't it?"' said Harry, feeling irritated a bit.

"Well yeah, no one really knows until they get there, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been – imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" he said while making a show of shuddering.

"Mmm," Harry said non-committally.

"What's your surname anyway?" the boy asked. But before Harry could answer, the witch who was fitting the boy was finished. "Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose." drawled the boy and left.

Harry sighed, relieved that he didn't have to talk to the blond boy anymore. "Madam, do you also sell normal clothes?" Harry asked, knowing that he would require some casual clothes since he was going to a boarding school.

"Of course, dear. Do you want casual robes or casual Muggle clothes?" Madam Malkin smilingly replied.

"Both I suppose." Harry answered. Madam Malkin was kind enough to assist him in picking out clothes for Harry, as he himself didn't really have a fashion sense, seeing as he grew up wearing clothes provided by Aunt Petunia which were very cheap and so not very good.

"Green will look great on you dear; they match with your lovely eyes. And dark color brings your eyes out more." Madam Malkin advised as she started to take out clothes to tell his preferences.

Fifteen minutes later he came out in the main shop to find Professor just sitting on a stool while reading a magazine. She looked up at him and asked "Got everything you needed?"

"Yes ma'am" he replied. They quickly thanked Madam Malkin and went out towards other shops.

"I think we should first get you a trunk so that you don't have to carry everything separately." Harry nodded his consent and started moving.

After walking for a few minutes, they found a small luggage store with just a trunk hanging off the front as a sign, as it had no name. They walked inside the store to find a portly man sitting in a recliner behind a desk.

"Can I help you?"

"Yes, I would like a trunk for school." Harry answered.

"Alright, but first of all welcome back to the wizarding world Mr. Potter. Let me tell you that it's a real pleasure meeting you."

"Thank you" was all Harry could say feeling much more confused.

"Back to business then. We have got a standard trunk normally for students, with a compartment which hold double of its size. It has normal fire-repelling charm along with strengthening charm." He said professionally.

"I would like something better because I know I'm going to buy a lot of books and potion ingredients. Also, I would like it to be able to carry a broomstick. I would like it to only be opened by me." Harry said while looking at the options given in one of shopkeeper's booklet.

"Then I would suggest this four compartment trunk. The first compartment can contain double its amount. Second compartment is a library which may contain up to two thousand books retrievable just by saying the name. Third compartment is a potions lab-cum-kitchen. It is actually divided into sections with temperature controlling charms. So you can control the heating and cooling in it. Forth compartment is a spare where you can place all your extra belongings. Will it be enough?" he said excitedly.

"I think you should also include featherweight charm and shrinking charm on tap of your wand. It would be easy to carry it that way." Professor suggested.

"Yes, that would be very helpful." Harry agreed.

"Your total comes down to 183 galleons." Shopkeeper said apparently quite happy.

Harry paid the required amount, shrinked the trunk and put it in his pocket. They exited the shop and started to head towards their next destination.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Thanks to all the reviewers. I'm very happy with the way you are accepting and complimenting my story. Please continue to do so. It really is a great morale booster for me. Also if you have any suggestions, send them as soon as possible. Have fun reading! **

CHAPTER 5

DIAGON ALLEY-II

After purchasing the trunk, they started to move towards other shops. There was a thing that was irritating the hell out of Harry and he decided that he should ask Professor McGonagall about it.

"Professor, can I ask something?" he inquired politely.

Professor turned to him and just nodded.

Getting her consent Harry asked "Is it normal that every shopkeeper knows about who you are even before introducing yourself or am I right in thinking that it is weird, because it is disturbing me a lot?"

Professor stiffened a little but said with a smile "I knew you would ask this question but I would ask you to just hold your curiosity a little longer. We will discuss this while having dinner tonight and no, it is not normal for shopkeepers at all, so you are right."

Harry thought for a bit and then just nodded his head apparently satisfied for the moment.

Professor McGonagall led him to nearby shop. With her advice Harry purchased two sets each of glass and crystal phials. He also purchased two boxes of phials which were indestructible and expanded. He also bought two cauldrons, should one of them accidentally melt. Harry got a set of good quality scales for weighing potions ingredients and a collapsible telescope made of brass. He wanted to buy a solid gold cauldron but decided to buy it when he came at that level of brewing.

Next, the duo went to the Apothecary, escaping the streets as more shoppers began to circumvent the stores. The Apothecary, a dreary moist shop reeked of what smelled like rotten egg and spoiled cabbage but Harry and McGonagall made no inclination to it.

Harry bought the standard first year potion kit as well as several other potion ingredients that caught his fancy. (Dragon scales, unicorn hairs, lacewing flies, bloom slang skin, and a bicorn horn.) He remembered to pick-up Owl delivery forms from every shop.

He put his purchase in his trunk and moved towards one of the most awaited place of Harry, the bookstore. The name of the shop was Flourish and Blott's. As they entered the shop, Harry had to literally control himself from squealing with delight and doing a country jig all around the store.

The shop had shelves which were stacked to the ceiling with books as large paving stones bound in leather; books the size of postal stamps in covers of silk; books full of peculiar symbols and a few books with nothing in them at all. Even Dudley, who never read anything, would have been wild to get his hands on some of these.

The store was divided into different sections according to subjects. There was a section for History, Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Magical Creatures, Charms, Potions, Astronomy, Arithmancy, Runes, Magical Law, Biographies, Languages, Fictions and magazines.

They moved towards the counter and ordered the first year textbooks. The salesman told that it would take sometime to collect them, so they may browse and see if anything catches their fancy.

"Professor, could you recommend a few books to me?" asked Harry knowing she could help him a lot.

"Sure Mr. Potter." McGonagall said with a smile.

They went towards the 'Magical Theory' section first in which he found _'The Origin of Magic', 'Pure Magic and How to handle it', 'Silent spell casting for amateurs', 'Magic with a flick' and 'Strength of magic and how to control it'. _"These books are very high class but if you start understanding the theory behind them, you will find your classes very easy." She said with conviction.

The Herbology section added '_Goshawk's Guide to Herbology_' while Astronomy got '_Constellations, A guide to the World Above'._

Transfiguration section was next and Harry grabbed '_The Intermediate and Advanced Guide to Transfiguration', 'Transfiguration for Professionals', 'Transfiguration in Dueling'_ and '_Discovering the Animal Within' _on McGonagall's recommendation.

In Charms section he picked up '_Everyday Charms for Everyday Uses', 'Intermediate and Advanced Charms'_**, **_'Charms: More than Making Things Float!', '__Animating Household Objects'_ and '_Animation in Dueling'_.

History books like '_A Complete Guide to Magical History', 'Hogwarts; A History', 'Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century_', '_Modern Magical History'_, '_The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts_' and '_Notable Magical Names of Our Time_' added t his already growing pile. He saw the 'Magical Creatures' section was filled with books of specialization on different kinds of animals/beasts he had never heard of, so he picked up '_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_' by _Newt Scamander_ as an introduction to this subject. He would come back later for the specific animal/beast books if he was interested, he reasoned to himself and continued on to the next subject.

He came to the Potions section and ended up grabbing '_The Basics of Potion Making', 'Ingredients and How to Use Them', 'Moste Potente Potion', 'Potions for the Healer', 'Potions and How to Detect Them', 'Intermediate and Advanced Potion Making', 'Potions and there Uses in Battle' and 'Potions for the Professional'._ Lastly he bought '_Every Potion Master's Charts for Brewing' _when the Professor said "If you learn this chart, you will find that learning recipes is not necessary every time."

He got to the Defense section and pulled out '_A Compendium of Common Curses and Their Counter-Actions_', '_Offence: How to Defend Yourself from the Defense', 'Dueling for Dummies', 'Hexes for the Busy and Vexed', 'Old but Practical Curses, Hexes and Jinxes', 'Offensive and Defensive Spells from Around the World'_ and '_Simplest spells and their most interesting applications'._

Harry also knew that sooner or later he had to deal with politics so he needed to buy some books on law and bought '_The Self-Updating Book of Law',_ '_How to Navigate the Wizengamot'_ and '_The Complete History of the Most Ancient and Noble Houses'._

He left his basket next to the counter since he was almost finished anyway. He walked around the store one more time and ended up picking '_Charmed, Defensive and Transfigured secrets_' which was a theoretical book explaining the facts necessary to display talent in those subjects; '_Tips on causing Humiliation', 'Spells that are must for pranksters', _'_Quidditch Through the Ages_' and '_A Healers Guide for Beginners_' but didn't see anything else that caught his attention.

It looked like Professor McGonagall was busy too since she dumped books like '_Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy_' which contained pages full of family trees with family names lost in the male line; '_Wizarding customs throughout Britain_' which described important dates in the year such as the annual ministries' Christmas ball, Samhain and Halloween to name a few. Others were '_Pure-blood Customs_'_, _'_Hereditary__ Responsibilities_' and '_Lordship in the Wizengamot_'. In Fiction department McGonagall suggested a strange looking book called '_The Legend of Magic_' and a fairytale book called '_The Tales of Beedle the Bard_' saying "Every child who grows up in this world reads these books as fairy tale_."_

When she got a look at the number of books that Harry had selected, she started shaking her head and said "He is a shoe-in to Ravenclaw."

Harry paid for the books and kept all of them in his trunk thanking heaven for magic.

After the book-shopping, they went towards Dervish & Banges, a stationery shop where they found different types of quills ranging from normal feathered quill to raven feathered to peacock feathered ones. There also were everlasting ink quills, quick-quotes quill, self correcting quills, color-changing quills and various other types. Harry bought a standard quill set along with a few dictation quills and self-correcting quills thinking it will help him in his homework. On the advice of Professor McGonagall he also bought a booklet giving pointers on perfect penmanship and proper way of writing quills since Harry had never written with them. They also bought a few rolls of parchment. Harry also did buy a few Unending Notebooks each of different color which he decided he would use for making notes on different subjects.

Harry checked his Hogwarts letter and found that the only thing he required now was a wand. This was what he was waiting for all day. Professor McGonagall understanding his excitement led him towards the most ancient shop he had ever seen.

The shop was narrow and shabby. Peeling gold letters over the door read _Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 328 B.C._ A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window.

A tinkling bell sounded deep within the shop as they entered it. It was like an old library with boxes everywhere. The shop had a strange mysterious feel about it.

"Good afternoon Mr. Potter, I was wondering when I would be seeing you." Harry jumped and looked around only to find himself staring at a pair of mysterious silvery eyes. "Well I suppose you might be here for your wand."

"Actually no, we're here to buy broomsticks," said Harry sarcastically. Ollivander just chuckled and said, "Ah the youth of today, they have funniest sense of humor."

He then continues to tell Harry about his parents' wands. He seemed to remember every detail. His mother apparently had a wand which was nice for charms work, while his father bested at transfiguration.

"Well, I say your father preferred it, but it's really the wand that chooses the wizard or witch."

He turned and noticed Professor McGonagall "Ahh….Minerva McGonagall, twelve inches long, made of willow, quite good for Transfiguration. Is it not?"

"Yes Mr. Ollivander." Said Professor McGonagall with a roll of her eyes when the shopkeeper was not looking.

"Well lets start with you young sir, which is your wand hand," he asked Harry. "Erm... I'm right handed, sir," said Harry. Ollivander then pulled out a box and said, "Birchwood and dragon heart strings, try it."

Harry held it in his hand but found it gone immediately as Ollivander muttered "No, no, no, here try this, yew and unicorn hair, quite an unusual combination," Harry took it and found it out of his hands again.

This continued for at least another twenty minutes when Ollivander looked up happily and said, "Tricky customer eh, not to worry we'll find the right wand for you...," he stopped suddenly and said , " I wonder, I wonder."

He went to a corner bent down and pulled out another box. "Try this Mr. Potter, Holly and Phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."

As soon as Harry took the wand he knew that was the one for him. He felt a tingling sensation all over his body and raised his wand and gave a swish. Red and blue lights burst from it like firework. Harry felt like some missing part of his body had reunited with him.

Ollivander clapped his hands happily and said, "How curious! How very curious!"

"What's so curious sir?" Harry asked him. Ollivander stared at him with his mysterious silvery eyes causing him to start shifting uncomfortably.

He then said softly, "I remember every wand I've sold Mr. Potter, every single one. It just so happens that the phoenix which gave the feather in your core, gave another one, exactly the same in all properties and proportions. What is so curious is that you should be destined for that wand when its brother gave you this scar."

Harry heard a gasp and turned around to find Professor looking at the wand with wide eyes.

"He does not yet know of that night Mr. Ollivander." Interjected McGonagall.

"Oh! Is that so? Then make sure he knows of his origin as soon as he can. His history plays an important role in his life after all." Professor just nodded.

"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did have the other wand, yew and phoenix feather, thirteen and a half inches, a very-very powerful wand and dangerous in the wrong hands. After all You Know Who did terrible... but great things, so I think it would safe to expect great and wonderful things from you too Mr. Potter."

"Use it wisely young wizard," Ollivander said smiling at Harry.

"How much for the wand sir," he asked Ollivander.

Ollivander just chuckled and said, "That will be seven galleons."

Harry took out his money bag and quietly handed over the money to the old wand maker.

They got out of the shop when Harry asked "Is it bad Professor, that I have this wand?"

"No Mr. Potter. In fact it's quite the opposite. This wand chose you which mean you are capable of achieving great things if you put your mind to it. It's just like having a weapon in your hand Mr. Potter. You could use it to spread devastation all around or to protect your loved ones and helpless people." She explained, not wanting him to feel bad about it.

Having finished their shopping, both the shoppers felt utterly exhausted. It was around eight in the evening and they decided to have dinner in a restaurant named _Lee's Kitchen_ that was located just on the side of the main street. McGonagall informed Harry that it was one of the most premium restaurants in British Wizarding World. As soon as they entered, Harry could see why. The interior was decorated in the old Victorian Style and it was done with such finesse that it felt like a part of Buckingham Palace. They were quickly escorted towards a private setting for two persons by one of the waiters and seated themselves there. The restaurant was not very crowdy but you could easily watch patrons all around. Soft music was playing and it was working wonders by soothing the tired people. Harry and McGonagall ordered a few dishes and just sat there in silence. They were waiting for the dinner to come when a fairly aristocratic looking man in his fifties approached them.

"Hello Minerva! What a pleasure having you here!" he said heartily while kissing the knuckles of her hand in a gentle manly gesture.

It seemed that Professor knew him quite well because a smile broke out of her normally stern face and she replied happily "Hello, Marcus! I didn't expect you to be here what with your vast business chain line. And how is Lucile?"

"I was just inspecting this establishment of mine when I saw a glimpse of you and decided to meet my old friend. As for Lucile, she is very busy what with the wedding preparation for our eldest son, Samuel." He replied with excitement.

"That's great. Congratulations!" she said with a smile.

"So how come the strict Professor McGonagall decided to visit my small abode?" He asked jokingly.

"I'm here on an official visit to acquaint a new student about the wizarding world." Then as if she realized something, she said "Oh! Where are my manners! Marcus let me introduce you to Harry Potter. Mr. Potter, meet this gentle man here, Marcus Lee. He is one of the most prominent businessmen of our world. Also, he is the member of Wizengamot."

"Hello Mr. Lee. It's a pleasure meeting you." Harry greeted warmly offering his hand.

Apparently Mr. Lee had gone in shock at hearing his name and couldn't respond to Harry's greeting or his offer of handshake. Harry feeling he had done something wrong quickly took back his offered hand. This was enough for bringing the businessman out of his trance as he quickly composed himself and offered his hand while apologizing profusely "I'm sorry Mr. Potter. I didn't expect to meet you so early and that too here. So I was just a bit surprised. It's an honor meeting you. I've always had great relations with your family and hope to continue it."

"It is alright Mr. Lee." Said Harry not exactly knowing how to respond.

As Marcus was about to say something, an employee of his came and said "Sir, your presence is needed in the board meeting which is about to start."

Marcus nodded and turned towards them a bit remorsefully saying "It looks like we will have to cut this meeting short."

"It's no problem Marcus. We were just waiting for dinner. It was quite nice meeting you." Said McGonagall waving off his apology.

"Alright then, I hope we will meet again soon. Also, your dinner is on house, no Minerva, this is the least I could do. Please don't refuse." He requested. After some persuasion she agreed to his offer.

"Goodbye Mr. Potter. Have a nice school year." Marcus wished Harry and departed with his assistant.

"He is a very important name of our wizarding world, Mr. Potter. He was my classmate and a really good friend." She said proudly.

Harry interrupted the next few minutes of silence by asking "Professor, now can you tell me how everyone recognizes me?"

She took a deep breath knowing she had already tested his patience and started. "In the seventies, the wizarding world saw the rise of a very dark wizard by the name 'Lord Voldemort'. He was extremely powerful. He had started amassing an army of sorts. His main aim was what has always been of every dark wizard till now, 'world domination'. Voldemort being a brilliant wizard warped his aim with 'pureblood supremacy'." At Harry's questioning look she explained, "It is nothing but a principle that a lot of purebloods follow. According to them, the infusion of muggle blood through muggleborns is making the wizarding world impure. Also, they think that these outsiders are a danger to us as they could expose us to the muggle world. And if that happens then the muggles won't stop till each and every magical being is prosecuted."

"They think that if they marry among purebloods then they would remain pure. What they don't understand is that by inbreeding, they are simply getting weaker. A lot of families have perished simply because there was no one present to carry their name."

"The purebloods therefore try to make life difficult for the muggleborns and those of mixed blood. They consider themselves superior. Similar prejudice is shown to the magical creatures like vampires, werewolves, goblins, veelas etc."

"The new Dark Lord promised the purebloods that he would eradicate those of impure blood. So he quickly gained a lot of purebloods as his followers. They called themselves 'Death Eaters'. They were very cruel. Murder, massacre, torture and rape became a common thing to those who opposed them. Ministry proved incompetent because it was infiltrated by a lot of supporters and sympathizers of the Dark Lord. Everyone was in panic. People didn't know who to trust. Every night we slept hoping that in the morning our loved ones remain alive. The streets of Diagon Alley that you right now see overflowing with customers that time remained empty."

"The magnitude of fear had increased so much that people didn't even dare to speak the name of the Dark Lord like you can notice me trying to avoid it. They referred to him as 'You-Know-Who' or 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named'. The only wizard who could have stood against him was Professor Dumbledore. Lot of people say that he was the only one whom You-Know-Who ever feared. Dumbledore tried his best to oppose but it wasn't proving much. Other people like your parents, I and few more tried assisted him but it was not enough. He killed some of the best witches and wizards of the age- the McKinnons, the Prewetts, the Bones-all perished The only stronghold that was left was Hogwarts because You-Know-who was not foolish enough to attack Hogwarts when Dumbledore was present. But he was taking over everything else. People were beginning to feel hopeless." Till now Professor McGonagall's eyes had filled with unshed tears but suddenly they seemed to vanish away.

"The only way we could have won the war was by a miracle. We desperately needed a miracle and we got it. On the Halloween ten years ago You-Know-Who went to attack a family who till then had opposed him and decided to eliminate them. He went there himself. He was successful in killing the parents with a killing curse but when he fired that same curse at a one year old baby, the baby not only survived the impossible but also was able to deflect it towards the killer of his parents resulting in his death and the end of the war. The Death Eaters after losing there master became weak and we were able to catch them. We sent a lot of them to prison. A few escaped using money to bribe the officials but the war had ended. The 'light' had once again prevailed. That baby became famous as 'Boy-Who-Lived'. People all over the wizarding world were giving a toast to him and thanking him for saving them."

With that she looked Harry straight in the eye and said "You-Know-Who attacked the Potters and succeeded in killing Lily and James Potter but was defeated by a toddler named Harry James Potter. A one year old boy had somehow succeeded in doing something no one had ever done. The killing curse hit you on your forehead only leaving a scar. You, Harry Potter are the boy-who-lived. You are one of the most famous wizards all over the world."

Harry was initially hearing every thing with rapt attention trying to absorb every word in his mind. But then the sudden proclamation of Professor had frozen him. When Aunt Petunia had told him that his parents were not killed in an accident but by someone Harry had felt shocked but now knowing that he survived the same person was mind boggling to him. He suddenly found Professor McGonagall shaking him, trying to gain his attention.

"Are you feeling alright now?" she asked worriedly.

Harry nodded shakily and asked "Why was I put with the Dursleys?"

"Professor Dumbledore created wards using the blood charms that your mother created to save you. But they were only successful when you remain with your blood relative and your aunt was the last one left."

"But then why was I kept away from magical world for so long?" he asked frustratingly.

"Dumbledore didn't want you to be grown up as a spoiled child. 'Any child would be, if he is famous before he can walk and talk. Famous for something he won't even remember' he said. He wanted to introduce you to the wizarding world when you grew mature enough to take it. Also the remaining Death Eaters would have attacked you at any opportunity they got. We wanted to give you a chance at normal childhood. Do you really think you would have achieved it in the wizarding world where mothers tell the story of Harry Potter to their children in bedtime? Where every single person knows your name?" She explained trying to make him understand.

Harry sat in silence for a few minutes but finally nodded and said "I guess I understand why you did it but from now onwards if you are making a decision that concerns me, make sure to tell me first because I know that my parents gave away their lives so that I could live my own way."

Professor McGonagall agreed with him. During their discussion, they had completed their delicious meals and had come out in the main alley. They headed towards the Leaky Cauldron and took the Knight bus which dropped them at Privet Drive. Professor McGonagall escorted him to his home and disappeared with a pop. That night Harry slept knowing where he actually belonged.


	6. Chapter 6

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks for the reviews again. It feels really refreshing to see the comments on my story. I have created two polls on the story. Answer them quickly because I'm closing them in a day. Now, on with the story…**

CHAPTER-6

LETTERS AND PREPARATIONS

**1****st**** August, 2000**

The next day Harry woke up and went through the same routine. At breakfast tension was so thick in air that it could be cut through knife. At the end of the breakfast Uncle Vernon looked at Harry and said in the most intimidating voice he could muster,

"I letting you go to the school shopping don't mean I will tolerate your _abracadabra _stuff in my house. Whatever you want to do before going to school, you will do in your room. If I even caught a glimpse of anything unnatural outside of the room, it will not be good for you. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes sir" Harry replied while appearing frightened when actually he was trying not to laugh out loud.

"Now don't just stand here. Take the list of chores from your aunt and finish them. I will not tolerate any laziness from you." Vernon snapped.

He completed all his chores by the afternoon and after having lunch, reaches his room. In his room he took out the trunk and enlarged it with a tap of his wand. He opened the last compartment and found what he was looking for. There lying on the bottom was the trunk he had retrieved from his vault. He searched in it and found the letter written by his parents. He stared at it for a long time. This was the first time he would get a letter from his parents. He gave long sigh and opened it with trembling fingers.

_Dear Harry_

_Hello my little boy! How are you? If everything goes how we think it will then you are standing in your trust vault with Sirius and are going to Hogwarts in few days. We are going into hiding in a few days so we thought to write you a letter in case something bad comes to pass. We know that Voldemort is after us and will do everything to make sure you are safe. And if you are reading this letter then it must have succeeded. Right now our main objective is to keep you protected. It is really difficult for me to write this letter to you when your younger self is just taking a nap in front of me. _

_You have just celebrated your first birthday a few days ago here and let me tell you, your younger self really enjoyed it. Even if we are in the midst of a war, your presence is like a ray of lightning to us. Sometimes I feel like giving up, knowing that nothing I'm doing is sufficient enough but then I see you and it becomes clear to me that I would go through thousands of wars like this just to make sure you grow up in a great environment._

_You have been motivating not only me but all the people that know you and love you very much. Quite a lot of time I spend in thinking what I would do when you grow up, how I would make sure that you love to read, be polite to your elders, don't eat like your father, treat everyone with respect and most importantly, not prank everyone like your father. Let me tell you, this is the most irritating thing about him. I don't know when his childishness will leave him. I mean he is a father and there is a war going on………but when I see his childish activities and the joy it brings to his face, it makes my day. If we can find reasons to laugh in circumstances like this then we can face anything fate throws at us. But Harry, keep it a secret okay. I don't want him knowing about it because that will only inflate his already overgrown head._

_I hope you have lived your childhood with happiness and joy. I have full faith in your godfather because I know he considers you his own son. I don't think I have ever seen him as happy as he was at your birth. Quite a few people joke around that you have two fathers and Sirius never denies. He may always remain his arrogant, cocky, over-confident self but when it comes to you, the sincerity he shows is astounding._

_Try to be your best in school son, and don't forget to have fun too. Make good friends and try to avoid any fights and dangerous situations but if you are anything like your father then trouble will find you one way or other. Also, make sure not to pull any unnecessary stunts like your father used to while playing Quidditch. I seriously don't know what all the people like about Quidditch, it's just a waste of time and energy; also the danger of injuries outweigh the little bit of excitement it provides. But I know even now when you are just a toddler that you would be a great player if your performance on the training broom is any indication. James was bragging to anyone who would listen to him about your talent in air. He seriously thinks you are going to be a professional Quidditch player. _

_I would give anything to see you growing up into a fantastic and charismatic wizard I know you would become, but it seems like fate has other plans. But don't get all sad and teary eyed because whatever happens we will always be watching over you. Try to follow your heart and make sure you live life the way you want to, not how everyone expects you to._

_I hope you find some girl to love you with all her soul because love is the most powerful thing in the world. When I'm with my family, I feel like I can face anything. Also make sure to treat her with love and respect. You don't know how many plans I have made to give you tips about treating a girl perfectly………_

_The trunk from which you got this letter was my idea. I thought to assimilate all the things we could provide you that might help you in Hogwarts. It includes my journal describing my life from when I was eleven till now. I have spelled them so that you only read what we wrote till we were same age as you. I don't want to deprive you of surprises that you'll receive when you experience them first time now do I? There is one other reason but you don't need to know about it._

_The trunk also includes my Charms and Potions textbooks. I thought you could benefit from the tips and shortcuts that I scribbled on margins of the books. They were my favorite subjects after all. Also included is a diary which comprises all the spells that I made during my work in the Charms Department of Ministry. A few unfinished spells are in it too. Try to complete them if you like._

_I have also included the individual photo albums of all three of us so that you have plenty of snaps to remember us. As for the gift package, James has included his gift that he will tell you about in his letter. I have given you an invention of mine. It is a chain which protects you from all types of mental intrusions, mind controlling potions, helps in repelling Imperious Curse, Veritaserum and possession attempts. It also helps in learning Occlumency (don't try to learn it yourself, find a master in that art and ask him to teach you). _

_Always remember Harry that whatever decision you will take in your life, we will always support you. Be the best wizard you could be._

_I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH HARRY. _

_Your mother_

_Lily _

Tears were flowing down the face of Harry without restraint. He didn't even try to wipe them away. He just held the letter to his heart and cried for all the time he lost which he could have spent with his mother. Mostly he cried for the loss of his childhood which he should have spent with his parents.

_Hey Prongslet_

_Wow, I finally get a chance to write a letter to my first-born child. If you are reading this, then that means that it is your eleventh birthday, and that you have survived eleven years so far as a Potter. Congratulations! It isn't easy, is it? You'll learn to love it though, being a Potter that is, just like Lily did. Whatever she tells you now, the truth is that she did not want to be a Potter at first, let me tell you. I don't see why? Ok, maybe it had a little to do with my supposed 'big head' as she used to so kindly put it. For the record, my head is the same size as anybody else's. Sirius and I measured them one day, but I still have the slightest suspicion that she was referring to something else rather then diameter. But none of that matters anymore, because I'm here writing a letter for you to read when you turn eleven._

_So I am James Potter. And I am your dad. And you are going to have to listen to everything that I say. Nah, I'm just kidding, (ok, I kid a lot.); I don't expect you to listen to everything that I say. In fact, if you did, I might start actually wondering if there was something fundamentally wrong with you. But you'll disobey me, right? You'll make me mad, right? It was doing exactly what my father wouldn't approve of that got me through my teen years. Ah, I probably shouldn't be telling you that, should I? I'm not too good at this father thing yet. I've never had a kid before, obviously, but I'm always up for a little challenge, my boy! It's going to be Me Vs. You from now on, (I hope you let me win sometimes). _

_You are going to Hogwarts in few days so all I'm going to say is to live every moment to its fullest. Hogwarts has made me what I am. It has given me the best friends I could have asked for; Sirius (aka Padfoot), Remus (aka Mooney) and Peter (aka Wormtail). As you know we formed a group named Marauders and used to prank everyone, I know very well that you are going to continue the tradition. Infact I'm hoping you break our records of most detention and other things like that (Don't let your mother see it or she will have my head). Also make sure to study a bit because you need to be strong for your family, don't you? It's better to be prepared then caught off guard, as I always say. Ok, so I've never said that in my life. And I don't believe it either, but it just seemed like a good fatherish thing to say. _

_You'll understand it when you will have kids. But, oh god! You can't have kids until you are forty, all right? I don't know if I can handle the term 'Grandfather' without fainting. I've changed so much since your mother told me that she was pregnant. Didn't see that one coming! Erm…I mean…we were very responsible and planned the whole thing but ……you understand what I'm trying to say? Is there an award for the worst father of the year? Ha-ha, I'll just laugh that off and you will never bring it up, all right? That usually seems to work for me. But where was I? Me. James Potter. Marauder. Quidditch star. A baby? I never told anybody this, but at first I was a little scared. Now, if you know me like I hope you know me, then you'll know, (hopefully), that I don't get scared usually. Hardly ever, in fact. _

_Let's talk about something else. Even though we're not really talking are we? It would be a kind of one ended conversation. And we all know that parchment can't talk on its own, right? Wrong! Little Potter, I'd like to take this time to tell you about the Marauder's Map. The key to the Marauders' success at Hogwarts. It's a map of Hogwarts but then so much more then that as well. I can't give it justice by just explaining about it. I wish I could give it to you, personally. We wrote it, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and I. My, weren't we brilliant in our Hogwarts days? (Don't take that last sentence as arrogance before you see the wonder of this map, because it was quite the product). Yes, and now I'm going to explain our days in Hogwarts in a few sentences. All right, so here were our days in the school in the simplest words I can find to explain it. Girls, pranks, werewolves, detentions, and straight A's! (And for me 'Lily Evans' was also on the list). I won't explain each one specifically, but I'm sure you know what I'm talking about anyways. You are smart little Potter, aren't you._

_So, know that I am usually much funnier than I let on in this letter. Or so I am told. Ok, I admit, all pride aside, that I am a pretty funny guy. It takes a lot to get Moony to fall off of his chair from laughter, but it has been done. By yours truly! Speaking of Remus, don't think that have forgotten to mention him here. He means a lot to me, just like Sirius does, but with him it's different. Where Sirius is my brother, Remus, well he's my best friend. And the greatest, smartest, nicest guy to ever come along. If there's anyone you can go to or trust, its Remus Lupin. He has never given any of us any reason to not believe that. Don't forget that. Sirius on the other hand is someone who is loyal and won't think twice about breaking laws. I could say he is instinctual. Some might say his actions are rash but the same quality is quite an asset during a fight and let me assure you, I'm saying that with experience. So, anyways, as I was saying, I really am a much funnier person. But I don't expect you to remember me by means of this letter._

_So do you want some advice from a Dad? Wow, that felt weird just writing it. I've got some things that I guess you could take to learn from, but know that this is not even a fraction of the stuff I have planned to teach you in your lifetime. Ok, so maybe I do plan things. Lily has come up with an idea to prepare a trunk for you to help you in future and has asked for my contribution. So let's see what I have for you._

_The trunk contains my journal from the time when I was eleven till now. Unfortunately Lily has spelled them so that you could only read what we wrote at your age. According to Lily 'He does not need to know about snogging tips and everything disgusting you wrote in that journal of yours at the age of eleven.' I don't agree but she has already decided and I can't change her mind now. Sirius says that she has got me whipped, but obviously I deny it. How dare he insinuate such a thing? But let me in you on a secret, even I think so. Don't tell anyone I said that. It's our first father-son secret after all. You ask why? It's not easy to say no to Lily son. What else can I say?_

_The second important thing is Marauder's Map. All I have to say about it is that it only understands two things 'I solemnly swear I am up to no good' and 'Mischief managed'. Use it well and make sure to prank Dumbledore. We tried but could never succeed._

_The trunk also has a book which describes all the pranks we played. My Transfiguration textbooks and Quidditch Captain Guide are also included. Also understand that the Quidditch Guide contains all the strategies I made for the games. I included it because I know that you are going to be a great Quidditch player and they will help you in future. You are an absolute natural in air. And why won't you be? It's in your blood son. _

_I know that if you tried hard, you could become a great professional Quidditch Player and might even play for England Quidditch team. Wow, what a thought it is, isn't it? Maybe we could finally win the world cup. Can you believe it that the last time we won it was in 1904? Enough about Quidditch now. _

_There is a gift package for you in there too. From me you get a wrist watch. It is two centuries old and is a masterpiece. It was made by a Potter and is always given to the Potter Heir on his eleventh birthday. It is unbreakable, can change shape on your will, water resistant and most importantly, can detect unwanted matter mixed in food. If there is foreign matter in your food, it will vibrate. It has saved a lot of Potters from poison, love potions, compulsion draughts etc. and is the reason why nobody could prank me through food. Useful, isn't it._

_So, I hope that you got to know me a little better by reading this letter, because it feels like I've written a lot in here. I could have continued writing to you forever though, know that. But all good things must end sometime I guess. Right? Oh, just agree with your old man._

_Take all that I said to heart, and know that it's what I truly believe as a grown man. Well, mostly grown. _

_LOVE YOU SON. MAKE THE POTTERS PROUD!_

_See you on the Quidditch field,_

_Dad _

During the reading of the letter, a lot of emotions warred through Harry's face; happiness at his funny nature, sorrow of missing him, expectation at gift, excitement at receiving Quidditch guide and amusement at his father's sense of humor. After reading the letter Harry knew one thing for sure, he would have had a lot of fun growing up with them. He could imagine his father trying to teach him how to fly while sneaking from mom and her catching them in the act and punishing his father. Just imagining things like this brought smile on Harry's face and tears to his eyes.

After reading the letters, Harry vowed to become the best wizard he could be. He also decided to make sure he will have as much fun as possible and would make friends. Also he would continue the legacy of the Marauders but without being cruel to anyone (but people like Dudley will be exceptions).

That decided Harry looked over all things in the trunk his parents had provided for him. Harry felt thankful to his mother when he saw the photo albums. There was one for each of them. Both his parents showed their snaps from their childhood to his birth. He saw their pictures with their respective parents, in Hogwarts with their friends, teachers and lot of others.

There were also a few pictures of their wedding. His mother was looking very beautiful in a snow white colored dress while his father had a giddy smile plastered all over his face in all of the pictures. He also saw Professor McGonagall and Hagrid in few of them. In his photo album, he found all the snaps from the hospital when he was born, till his first birthday. He really had a huge party for his first birthday. He took out a picture of his younger self with his parents and put it on the desk. That night Harry slept with a contented smile and dreaming of living with his parents.

The next few weeks went normally. Dursleys maintained their distance from him. Harry continued to have chats with Aunt Petunia. Harry felt really good that his last living relative is at least civil to him. He also started reading his parents journals. Every time he read an entry of them, he felt much closer to them.

As he had promised the day he read the letters, he started reading the books he got for first year. The first book he read was _The Origin of Magic. _He wanted to understand magic first so decided to start from basic. It was followed by _Magical Theory_. He began to understand the fundamentals of magic. Now that he had got them down, he started on with transfiguration, followed by all the other first year books. He also started learning the _Every Potion Master's Charts for Brewing_ learning two or three ingredients day by day_._ Apart from that he was reading the prescribed book for potions too.

His reading continued all over the month and till the end he had completed all his first year booksand was feeling quite pleased with his progress. His knowledge of Latin was helping him out a lot as most of the spells were in Latin and he felt that he will not have any difficulty in pronouncing the words correctly. He had also read _'Pure-blood Customs_' not wanting to be ignorant of the cultures of a new world. He also practiced writing with a quill on the parchment. Initially he was barely legible, but soon got the hang of it and started writing in a cursive and elegant writing if he said so himself.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

TRIP TO HOGWARTS AND SORTING

**1****st**** September, 2000**

Harry woke up at seven in the morning. Actually he had woken up five times throughout the night, not able to sleep because of the excitement of finally going to Hogwarts. He had packed his trunk three days ago, placing his parents' trunk in the last compartment. Through owl-post, Harry got a magical backpack for carrying books in school. It was expanded on the inside and charmed not to spill potions and ink. Also a Featherlight charm on it so that it doesn't weight much. He put a school robe in it for changing while in train. He also picked a few books to read during the journey to pass the time. He quickly freshened up wearing the best muggle dress he got from Diagon Alley. He went downstairs to make the last breakfast of this year. He made a huge breakfast, wanting to make it special for the Dursleys.

Dursleys arrived half an hour later, surprised a bit by the amount of breakfast but pleased nonetheless. Harry had already told the Dursleys that he would make way to the King's Cross Station on his own. Finally at ten, Harry picked up his trunk, shrunk it and put it in his pocket while hanged the backpack on his shoulder and picked Hedwig's cage. He waved a goodbye to Aunt Petunia and walked a small distance away from the house. When he found himself a bit alone, he hailed his wand for the Knight Bus. BANG! And there was the Knight Bus in all its glory. Harry asked for the cost to King's Cross and found out that there were a few others going to the same destination. He paid for the fare and seated himself. All through the journey, he held the support tightly, not wanting to be thrown at the window.

After fifteen minutes of bangs and patrons boarding and leaving the bus, they finally reached the station. Harry pulled out of the bus as soon as he could, not wanting to be subjected to the presence of the bus any longer then necessary along with a few other children and parents. He took the trolley while expanding the trunk to its normal size, and put the trunk, backpack and the cage with Hedwig. He steered the trolley towards platform nine knowing that the entrance to platform Nine and three quarters is through the walls dividing platform nine and ten.

At last Harry found himself in front of the barrier of the wizarding world and strode calmly and confidently towards the wall steering his trolley towards it. It felt weird walking into the wall, when his instincts were screaming to stop. He passed through the wall, and a moment later found himself on the other side of the wall. What he saw made him gape stupidly; there standing in all its glory was the Hogwarts Express painted in scarlet red and gold with steam flowing out of the engine giving a mesmerizing effect to it.

There were a lot of children with their parents who had come to escort them and say goodbye. Harry expected the crowd to increase even more with the passing of time. He quickly boarded on the train with his trunk without any difficulty thanks to the Featherweight charm. He browsed through different compartments but found all filled up with students who were above his age. At last he came across a compartment which was empty and entered before someone else could claim it. He put his trunk on the luggage rack and sat down with a sigh. For the next ten minutes he watched the interaction that was going on between the parents and their children on the platform. He missed his parents a lot, but was heading towards a place from where he could fulfill their dreams and make sure their sacrifice didn't go in vain.

Any further thoughts of his were interrupted by a knock on the door. A young girl about his age opened the door and asked in a polite yet firm voice

"Can we join you in the compartment? Everywhere else in this part of train is full."

Harry looked behind her to find one more girl standing there.

"Of course. Who am I to deny the company of such pretty girls?" Harry said with a charming smile. The first girl just quirked her lips a little giving a hint of smile while the other girl got a red tinge on her face.

"Please come in" Harry said while motioning them inside. He helped them in heaving the trunks and helped adjust it.

The girls gave a grateful smile and sat opposite to him.

"Hello. My name is Harry Potter." Harry said while bowing to them in a perfect pureblood fashion.

Both the girls gasped and their eyes widened. The first girl composed herself earlier than the other and gave her a nudge. Both girls composed themselves and the first girl replied

"My name is Daphne Greengrass. Eldest of Lord Greengrass."

He took her hand and kissed her knuckles lightly. She was a really cute girl with jet black hair, porcelain skin and bluest eyes Harry had ever seen while the other one was sandy brown haired, a light tan and brown eyes.

"And I am Tracey Davies. Second child of Lord Davies."

Harry proceeded to give her the same treatment and finally settled on his seat. They fell silent for the next few minutes. Then suddenly the door opened and a girl with bushy hair entered while looking around and asked

"Has anyone seen a toad? A boy named Neville lost it." She asked in a bossy tone which Harry didn't like a single bit.

"It is rather rude to barge into others' compartment without knocking you know." Harry said glaring at her. Her cheeks turned crimson with embarrassment or anger Harry didn't know when her eyes turned towards his forehead and she gasped.

"You are Harry Potter. I've read all about you of course. Did you know that you are mentioned in _Modern Magical History_, _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts_ and _Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century_? Of course……"

Harry interrupted her babbling "What is your name?"

She blushed a little with embarrassment and said "Sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Hermione Granger. I didn't even know magic existed till my eleventh birthday, but then Professor McGonagall came for a visit to explain about all this. Since then I have been reading all the books and have cast a few spells and they have worked for me. Did ……"

Harry again interrupted her and said "I have no interest in what you have learned or read. Now as for reading and knowing everything about me, I would like to think that I know myself better than what those books wrote about me. And after spending so much time here and that too unwelcome with your non-stop babbling, you might have noticed that there is no toad here. Now would you please do us a favor and get out from here."

She bristled at his comments and was just about to start another tirade when she thought better of it and went out of the compartment while shutting the door with real force.

"That went quite well, didn't it?" Harry said sighing a little.

"Yeah, I didn't know anyone could insult a person so many times in a single comment. Do you give classes on it? Because if you do, you have yourself one more student." Said Tracey sarcastically with a smile.

"Not one, but two. Count me in." said a smirking Daphne.

"Before the interruption, you were going to tell us about yourself I believe." It seemed Daphne hadn't forgotten about it.

"I live with my aunt who is my mother's sister, uncle and their son. They are all muggles. I did not know about magic till the end of July. I was introduced to the wizarding world by Hogwarts Professor. As for the family history, you already know everything about me. I don't know which house I'm going to be in." Harry replied.

They continued to talk about some regular things and also bought some sweets and candies from the trolley when they were interrupted once again by the opening of the door. A red-almost orange haired boy with lots of freckles, and an awed expression on his face, entered and looked at Harry and then his forehead

"Are you really Harry Potter?"

"Yes. What do you want?" Harry asked, irritated by continuous interruption.

"My name is Ron Weasley." He replied. For the first time he noticed other occupants. He frowned and said

"Harry, these are Slytherins, what are you doing with them? They are all evil. Come with me, I can help you there."

"I consider myself intelligent enough to know who I should be talking to. But thanks for the offer." Harry said in a calm voice not wanting to instigate a fight.

Just then three boys came in and Harry recognized the middle one at once. It was the snotty Slytherin wannabe from Madam Malkin's robe shop.

"Is it true?" the boy asked. "They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?"

"Yes." he confirmed. He looked at the other boys. Both of them were thickset and looked extremely mean, they would just fit in with Dudley's gang.

The pale boy noticed Harry looking and said. "These are Crabbe and Goyle. Don't mind them. My name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, heir to the Lord Malfoy."

Harry was reminded of those James Bond films Dudley was fan of. Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigger. Malfoy glared at him.

"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles and more children than they can afford."

He turned back to Harry. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."

He held out his hand to shake. Harry decided to be polite and shook the offered hand saying "I don't think I require any help. But thanks for the offer."

"It looks like you are in good hands right now, if you need anything, ask me." Malfoy said stucking his nose in air and pointing towards the girls who had a blank expression on their faces.

"Try to be in Slytherin Potter, you will have a great time there, of that I assure you." With that he left, making sure to shove Ron who was still red in face with Malfoy's comment on his family.

"I'm sure you will be a Gryffindor. After all both your parents were. Also there is no place I could imagine a hero to be placed in other than Gryffindor" With that he too went out.

"Huh! What a way to spend my journey." Harry said while shaking his head.

"It sure was fun. Next time you do something like this make sure we are present too. We wouldn't want to miss it." Daphne commented with a smirk while Tracey nodded her consent.

Next few hours passed peacefully with silence apart from occasional small talks. Harry spent his time reading _Hogwarts: A History_ and girls conversing with each other in hushed voices.

Harry peered out of the window. It was getting dark. He could see mountains and forests in a distance. The train seemed to be slowing down.

"I think we are about to reach there. We should change into robes." Harry said. Both the girls nodded in agreement. Harry came out of the compartment to give them space and the girls did likewise at his turn.

The train began slowing down, and a voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train; it will be taken to the school separately." The train finally stopped and they got out of it along with hundreds of students.

When Harry got down the train he heard a familiar voice: "Firs'-years! Firs'-years over here! All right there, Harry?" Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads. Daphne and Tracey stared open-mouthed at him.

"C'mon, follow me – any more firs'-years? Mind yer step, now! Firs'-years follow me!"

Harry nudged them and they snapped their mouth shut while giving a sheepish smile. They followed him and got down in a boat where they were joined by a boy with Italian look. It looked like girls knew him because they gave him a small smile in greeting which he returned with a nod.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec,' Hagrid called over his shoulder, 'jus' round this bend here."

The narrow path had opened suddenly on to the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers. All the first-years exclaimed in unison. It really was a wonderful sight.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore.

"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself, "Right then – FORWARD!"

And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the smooth lake. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.

"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy which hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out on to rocks and pebbles.

They clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last on to smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle. They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.

"Everyone here? Good." Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.

As soon as he knocked the door swung open, Professor McGonagall appeared with a stern expression on face. She led them into an empty chamber near the Great Hall and explained that a house here was a family, and the four houses. She said that they were going to be sorted in a few minutes and with that went inside. Harry heard Ron explain that his brothers said they had to fight a troll, and Harry whom already guessed that that was a lie fed them the most outrageous cock-bull story to see how smart they were:

"Ohh," he gasped, feigning shock, "that makes perfect sense, if we attack it head on we become Gryffindors, if we try to outwit it we become Ravenclaws, if we run up and hug it we become Hufflepuffs, and if we pretend to befriend it then kill it we become Slytherins!"

Four fifths of the room blanched, each imagining what they have to do to be sorted into their house. Only one fifth however, saw that it was a total fluke, so they silently shook with laughter. Suddenly several people behind him screamed.

About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to each other and hardly glancing at the first-years. Harry wasn't surprised because he had read about them in a book but watching them for the first time was an experience of his own. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat monk was saying, "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance –"

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost – I say, what are you all doing here?"

A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first-years.

Nobody answered. Most were too busy staring open-mouthed at the ghosts.

"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be sorted, I suppose?"

A few people nodded mutely.

"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know."

"Move along now,'" said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start." Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.

"Now form a line and follow me." said Professor McGonagall to the first-years. Excitement and anticipation filled Harry, he always liked those personality tests and really wanted to know how the sorting ceremony would sort him, because labels never really fitted him. He stepped into the line behind a boy with sandy hair, with Ron behind him, and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.

The books didn't do the Great Hall justice. The Great Hall was lit by thousands and thousands of candles which were floating in mid-air over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets.

At the top of the Hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first-years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the teachers. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver. Harry looked upwards to study the famous ceiling of Hogwarts' Great Hall. It was very beautiful indeed, like you were looking at the real sky. He was not the only one who was looking at the ceiling, and Harry heard Hermione whisper about reading about the ceiling in _Hogwarts: A History_

Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first-years. On the top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Aunt Petunia wouldn't have let it in the house. Harry would have washed it, it wasn't like the hat wouldn't work anymore if it was washed, was it?

When everyone was silent the hat began to sing:

'_Oh, you may not think I'm pretty, _

_But don't judge on what you see, _

_I'll eat myself if you can find _

_A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black,_

_Your top hats sleek and tall,_

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_And I can cap them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head_

_The sorting Hat can't see, _

_So try me on and I will tell you_

_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,_

_Where dwell the brave at heart,_

_Their daring, nerve and chivalry_

_Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

_Where they are just and loyal,_

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_

_And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_

_If you've a ready mind,_

_Where those of wit and learning, _

_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin_

_You'll make your real friends, _

_Those cunning folk use any means_

_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

_And don't get in a flap!_

_You're in safe hands (though I have none)_

_For I'm a thinking cap!'_

The whole Hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the hour tables and then became quite still again.

Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. And she started calling out names. Every time someone was sorted, the table of the chosen house would erupt in cheers.

"Abbott, Hannah!" who became a Hufflepuff.

"Bones, Susan!"-Hufflepuff

"Boot, Terry!"-Ravenclaw

"Brocklehurst, Mandy!"-Ravenclaw

Harry zoned out, thinking about how the hat took different amounts of time to decide each sorting, and paid attention just in time to hear,

"Davies, Tracey!" He gave her an encouraging smile which she returned with a nervous one. Hat sat on her head for a few moments and then hat called out "SLYTHERIN"

Harry clapped along with others for her and zoned out once again to hear in time "GRYFFINDOR!" he saw the bushy haired girl walk to the table with a smile. He was paying close attention to the next sorting though,

"Greengrass, Daphne!" he gave her a small wink which made her smile a little. Hat sat on her head for only a few seconds and declared "SLYTHERIN".

Harry clapped more and gave her a wave after she settled on her table. She seemed surprised but nodded to him.

The list went on, only a third of the people were left now, and soon finally, all the tension built up, everyone was sitting or standing on edge for this sorting, whichever table had the Boy-Who-Lived, would, in fact, gain the most publicity for sure, and would be more renowned in history books,

"Potter, Harry!" He walked forward, his face in an unemotional mask to hide his nervousness, and heard all the mutterings about him, and before the hat was dropped on his head, noticed half the hall leaning forward to get a better look at him.

'"So the great Harry Potter finally tries on an old talking hat like me, oh! I am so flattered!" a voice whispered into his ear, he snorted,

"A thousand years of looking in peoples' heads get you this agitated?" the hat gave a mental image of a grin, "witty like your father I see."

"Let's see this head of yours, hmm your absolute loyalty is only limited to those you consider friends. Everyone else doesn't matter to you. So Hufflepuff is out. Similarly you are very brave, would face anything to get to your goal but your decisions will most likely have total strategy which rules out Gryffindor. That leaves Slytherin and Ravenclaw. You are very resourceful when you need to be. You are most definitely cunning and sly. Also the fact that you can speak to snake makes you perfect for Slytherin but you are not greedy in ambitions. You just want to be the best wizard that you could be. You also would try that others don't get hurt by your actions as much as possible but if there is an enemy you can be very ruthless. But still you are suited for Slytherin. Hmmmm…..your mind is very good. You are sharp and can think on your feet. You treasure your knowledge and are proud of it. You want to make sure that you are ready for anything so studies will always be on top of your priority list. So you are fit for Ravenclaw too. Actually all the founders would have been fighting over you, but I think Ravenclaw and Slytherin will suit you and your needs most. So I give you the choice between them."

Harry thought about it a little and said "I don't want to make myself unapproachable to anyone, because whether I like it or not they consider me as their hero. So place me in a house which is most impartial to any type of house rivalry that my mum mentioned."

"Alright then, if you have decided, you are going to RAVENCLAW" Last word was said to everyone and the table just to his right gave a huge applause. He even saw a few people jumping in happiness. He also noticed that Gryffindor table didn't seem much enthusiastic. McGonagall seemed disappointed too. They all thought Harry was going to follow his parents' footsteps. Harry jumped off the stool and moved towards his house table. His robes now had blue and bronze in it along with a raven stitched on it.

He sat between a girl and boy his age and looked at the High Table for the first time properly. At the end nearest him sat Hagrid, who gave him the thumbs-up. Harry grinned back. And there, in the centre of the high Table, in a large gold chair, sat Albus Dumbledore. Harry recognized him at once from the books he'd read about powerful witches and wizards. Also he had got a card of him when he ate chocolate frogs.

Harry turned his attention back to the sorting. It was almost Ron's turn. He looked pale green by now. Was he really that nervous? What was he afraid of? The Sorting hat had barely touched his head when it shouted: "GRYFFINDOR!" It probably had enough practice with the Weasleys.

Blaise Zabini was the last one to be sorted. He was the Italian boy who sat with him and the girls in boat. And when the Sorting Hat made him a Slytherin, Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away.

Albus Dumbledore had got to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.

"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here there are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!" and he sat back down.

Haley wondered if he was insane or not. But decided that someone who defeated a Dark Lord had the right to be a bit mad as long as he didn't harm anyone with his insanity.

Suddenly the dishes in front of her were piled with food. Harry looked around with wonder clearly written in his eyes. There was so much to eat. Harry quickly piled his plate and listened as conversation started flowing around him. The girl next to him looked at him and then offered her hand saying "My name is Padma Patil." She was most certainly an Indian.

Harry gave her his full attention and said "Hello, I am Harry Potter." while kissing her hand in greeting. She blushed a little and then went back to eating.

The boy sitting with him introduced himself as Terry Boot. Conversations flowed easily enough from then on and Harry found that both of them were purebloods. While Terry was a single child, Padma had a twin named Parvati who was sorted in Gryffindor. They found each others hobbies and talked about their childhoods. It seemed like they were on way of making friendships.

Harry, who was starting to feel warm and sleepy, looked up at the High Table again. Hagrid was drinking deeply from his goblet. Professor McGonagall was talking to Professor Dumbledore. Professor Quirrell was talking to a teacher with greasy black hair, a hooked nose and pale skin.

It happened very suddenly. As Quirrell turned his turban towards Harry, the hook-nosed teacher looked straight into Harry's eyes – and a sharp, hot pain shot across the scar on Harry's forehead.

He flinched a little but didn't let anything show on his face. He inquired around a bit and found that the professor's name was Severus Snape and he taught Potions. WAIT A SECOND!Severus Snape? Is he the same one? Was he my mother's best friend? Harry had read how Snape had found his mother performing magic and informed her about it. They had become friends and at the age of eleven she considered him her best friend. Harry decided to think about it later, and looked as the headmaster rose once again while all the food vanished.

"Ahem – just a few more words now we are all fed and watered, I have a few start-of-term notices to give you."

"The first-years should note that the forest in the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."

Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins.

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors."

"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch."

"And finally, I must tell you that this year; the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!"

Harry noticed that the other teachers' smiles had become rather fixed. Professor Snape wasn't smiling at all.

Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick as if he was trying to get a fly off the end and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself snake-like into words.

"Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!"

Hundreds of students started singing (more like shouting) in different tune making the song even more hideous. Slytherins were looked at other houses in disgust and looked rather tight lipped.

Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march. Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand, and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest.

"Ah, music, a magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

Ravenclaw prefects motioned the first years to follow them. They walked past suits of armors whose helmets creaked at the sound of footsteps, around corners. Harry was just wondering how much further they had to go when they came to a sudden halt. There was a door in front of them. There was no keyhole and no handle; nothing but a plain expanse of aged wood and a bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle.

Female prefect turned towards them and said "This is the entrance to the Ravenclaw Tower. You have to knock and the guardian will ask a question which you will have to answer otherwise you won't get entrance. In case you don't know the answer, wait for a student to come or go to a professor." She proceeded to give them a demonstration and after getting the right answer the door knocker let them pass. Harry pushed past his first year peers and got his first glimpse of the Ravenclaw common room. The room could be best described as an "airy" room with many arched windows overlooking the surrounding mountains, all hung with heavy bronze and blue curtains, matching their house colors. The ceiling is domed and painted blue with twinkling stars on it. The floor is also covered by midnight-blue carpet, completing the "Ravenclaw" look about the place. The room was filled with fat and cushy armchairs that looked quite comfortable to just sit at and read a book. The room also seemed to be circular in shape, showing that it was indeed on the inside of the Ravenclaw tower while there were several stairs leading up to the student dorms. There was a statue of Rowena Ravenclaw beside the entrance to the dorm, one of the Hogwarts four founder and the founder of the Ravenclaw house.

"Wow." was all Harry could say, in his opinion, the room was perfect. There was even a small library if you wanted a quick read and didn't want to go to the library.

"Wow indeed," the fifth year prefect said from beside him with a grin.

"The first year dorms are up those stairs, girl on the left, boys on the right," he said, motioning to the stairs on the other side of the room. "The second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh are further up into the corridors and dorms respectively," the prefect said with a smile.

Harry entered his dorms to find four beds on the corners of the big room. He saw his trunk on the bed that was beside window far side from the door. Beside the bed was a table and chair equipped with a bookcase. Harry liked it very much. He wanted to explore more and talk to his roommates but he was very tired and decided to go to sleep. It came very fast and in minutes Harry was asleep.

To Be Continued………..


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Once again thanks for all the reviews. I'm trying to write the chapters as soon as I can so please bear with me. Do tell me how you find this chapter. Have a happy reading…….**

CHAPTER – 8

FIRST WEEK OF CLASSES

**2****nd ****September, 2000**

The next morning Harry woke up with ample time before his dorm mates who it looked like had spent a long time talking last night. He took care of his morning necessities while spending a bit more time than normal in bath. He came out in the common room and found a few older students already there. He saw the female prefect that escorted the first years here last night and moved towards her.

"Hi! Do you mind if I sit here?" Harry asked politely.

"Not at all. Please have a seat." She said smiling.

"My name is Harry Potter." He said trying to start a conversation.

"I don't think you need to introduce yourself to anyone. Everyone knows you."

"May be I want to be known as Harry Potter first and foremost, not the Boy-Who-Lived." Harry said with conviction.

Penelope appeared impressed and offered her hand "If that is so, my name is Penelope Clearwater, fifth year, Ravenclaw prefect."

Harry kissed her hand and said "Shall we go to the Great Hall for breakfast or are you waiting for someone?"

"No I am not. Let's go." She replied.

On the way to Great Hall, Harry asked about the schedule and she told him that Professor Flitwick, who is the Head of Ravenclaw House, will provide them during breakfast. They entered the Great Hall and Penelope made her way towards her year mates while Harry headed towards the only person who was eating breakfast at that time; Padma. They started to eat while talking about their first impression of the Ravenclaw tower. All through the meal they were joined by their peers. At the end, professor Flitwick came and gave them their schedules for the classes. The first class they had was of Charms with Slytherins and only other class that day was of Defense Against the Dark Arts with Gryffindors.

During breakfast, Harry finally realized just how famous he really was. It might have had something to do with all the people looking at him, or it might have been the constant whispering that seemed to follow him everywhere he went. Whatever the case, Harry soon realized that he was either going to have to get used to it or go completely mental. Either way, he had other things to worry about.

They all completed their breakfast and headed towards their dorms to collect their books and stationery. Harry met Padma and Terry in the common room and all three headed towards Charms classroom. They all felt thankful that the schedule had a map of all classes on its back. They reached the classroom early and easily got seats in front of teacher's desk. They had to wait five more minutes when finally the teacher arrived.

Professor Flitwick was a short one, only four foot in height and if Harry had to guess a bit like goblins. He had to stand on a pile of books to properly address the whole class. It was a bit funny when the tiny little Professor called Harry's name the first day and got so flustered that he fell off the chair he was standing on. After he regained his seat, the Professor showed them several spells they would be working on that year, all of which Harry was familiar with because he had already read everything about them.

Charms proved to be particularly intriguing, with Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, managing to make the subject highly entertaining while at the same time still getting across what he was attempting to teach them. He was able to hold the attention of the class and prevent them from deviating attention by his excitable nature and passion towards his subject.

The class everyone had really been looking forward to was Defense Against the Dark Arts, but Quirrell's lessons turned out to be a bit of a joke. His classroom smelled strongly of garlic, which everyone said was to ward off a vampire he'd met in Romania and was afraid would be coming back to get him one of these days. His turban, he told them, had been given to him by an African prince as a thank-you for getting rid of a troublesome zombie, but they weren't sure they believed this story. For one thing, when Seamus Finnegan asked eagerly to hear how Quirrell had fought the zombie, Quirrell went pink and started talking about the weather; for another, they noticed that a funny smell hung around the turban, and the Weasley twins insisted that it was stuffed full of garlic as well, so that Quirrell was protected wherever he went. Professor Quirrell seemed to be afraid of the topic he taught, refusing to answer many of the questions put to him by the students. Harry had a headache by the time their first class was over, probably due to all the garlic that hung from the ceiling of the classroom. All the Ravenclaws were very unhappy with Quirrell and felt that he should be replaced as soon as possible.

All through the rest of the evening they went through merits and demerits of using Lumos against a vampire. Harry also got acquainted with his other dorm mates like Anthony Goldstein and Morag MacDougal. They all completed the homework helping each other out. He was taught by them how to play wizarding game called Gobstones. At the time of dinner, they all went to the Great Hall together. After dinner, they moved to their dorms but Harry decided to start learning the theory from all the reference books since he had already read all the course books.

The next week went on like this. There were a few important moments but apart from that it went normally or as normally it can get with magic all around. Much to their surprise they found that it was even a challenge trying to find their way around the place to get to their classes, rather than the relatively straightforward affair they'd expected. The castle itself was fairly easy to get your head around after a certain amount of time, but the stairs had an annoying habit of moving around whenever you wanted to get anywhere, and the fact that the people in various portraits seemed to wander off and visit other portraits whenever they wanted made it hard to find distinctive landmarks that could be used to navigate around the place. Harry couldn't use the Marauder map in front of others, so he too faced similar problems.

Harry still remembered his first Transfiguration class. It was taught by Professor McGonagall. Ronald came a bit late while Professor was sitting on her desk in her animagus form. Harry had been quite right to think that Professor McGonagall wasn't a teacher to cross. Strict and clever, she gave them a talking to the moment they had all sat down in her first class. "Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," she said. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned."

Then she changed her desk into a pig and back again. They were very impressed and couldn't wait to get started, but soon realized they weren't going to be changing the furniture into animals for a long time. After making a lot of complicated notes, they were each given a match and started trying to turn it into a needle. Harry tried the spell and in the first try he was only able to change the material from wood to silver. In the second try though he got it right. He was very happy that he was the first one to do the spell correctly.

"Well done Mr. Potter. I have taught here for a long time but not a single student was able to do it in such a short time. It looks like you are even better than your father and that's saying something. Ten points to Ravenclaw." McGonagall commented amazed.

"Thank you Professor" Harry replied.

Everyone else was looking in his direction and trying their spell with even more effort. The bushy haired girl was glaring towards Harry.

"Try to transfigure multiple matchsticks simultaneously. Good work Mr. Potter. Carry on." Professor said with a small smile directed towards him. With that she started to inspect others informing them of their flaws

Harry decided to heed her advice and started trying multiple transfigurations. It took him a bit longer but in the end he got it. He was able to convert fifty needles at a time and it seemed to increase the more he practiced. He once again got ten points for it. He also helped Terry and Padma. In the end the only ones who were able to perform apart from him were Terry, Padma and bushy haired Gryffindor.

Ravenclaws had Herbology lessons with Slytherins. The subject was taught by Professor Pomona Sprout, head of Hufflepuff House. She was a dumpy little witch with a passion towards her plants. In this class Harry partnered with Daphne. They didn't talk very much because Daphne was trying to maintain an 'Ice Queen' image in her house but they were very much comfortable with each. Also the fact that Harry knew how to handle plants because of his chores and Daphne's exemplary knowledge because of this being her family's business was a great combination which at least ensured a lot of points for their houses.

The one class, surprisingly enough, that Harry enjoyed the most was History of magic; surprising because so many people would think otherwise about the class. The subject was taught by a ghost by the name of Cuthbert Binns who had one day fallen asleep in front of the staffroom fireplace and woken up the next morning to teach, leaving his body behind. Unfortunately for the spectral professor, Harry didn't much like the time he spent droning on about several names and dates of important historical events (which had something to do with goblin rebellions), so instead, he used the Dictation Quill to gather the required notes. He used the time in the class to sneak in his own books and have a quiet read. Harry was just thankful that no one from his own house or the Gryffindors had spotted him or they might just feel the need to stick their noses in his business and stop his free study period.

Some of the classes, like Astronomy, were fun for Harry for non-academic reasons where they'd meet up in the astronomy tower Wednesday night at midnight to study the night, learning the names of planets, stars and other galaxy related phenomena. It was taught by Professor Aurora Sinistra. What Harry thought made the class so enjoyable was the absolutely stunning view the astronomy tower gives the students with their magically enhanced telescopes of outer space, unhindered by light or air pollution living near a city would provide.

The one lesson during the week that served to baffle and yet amuse him the most was definitely Potions with the Slytherin head of house, Professor Snape. During breakfast that particular morning, when Terry had informed him that they had Potions in the dungeons first for the day, all the upper year students had told them that Snape was very biased towards Slytherins. He was very unfair and they try to avoid him as much as possible. With all these rumors going around, first year students were understandably nervous. They had heard how Gryffindors had lost forty five points in his class while Slytherins gained twenty five points.

Later in the Potion's classroom, the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were waiting for their professor to arrive, when suddenly the doors to the room burst open admitting a scowling Professor Snape striding up to the front of his classroom and to his desk with his black billowing robes flowing behind him.

The image of Professor Snape glaring down from his elevated position at his desk surrounding by several bottled animal parts and other Potions ingredients in the cold dark dungeons of Hogwarts served to intimidate several of the more timid first years; Harry however, sat unfazed, ready to learn.

Like every other professor, Snape went through the class registry, stopping briefly on Harry's name to comment on his presence.

"Ah yes, Harry Potter, our new celebrity" he began, spitting out his surname as if it were a disease "a true phenomenon that you would end up in the house of the intelligent, but clearly the apple falls far from the tree." he finished snidely. Many of the first years looked on between the two in confusion while Harry's eyes merely narrowed slightly, not willing to take the bait and give this man a reason to punish him. Harry had just realized that Professor Snape didn't dislike him, he seemed to loathe him!

After finishing with the registry, Snape put it away before locking eyes with the rest of the class. His eyes were as black as coal and held no emotion or warmth. Harry thought that they reminded him of two dark tunnels. After several moments of silence, he began to speak to them in a voice that was barely above a whisper but seemed to cut through the silence of the room like a hot knife through butter.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art that is Potions brewing" he began, his voice just screamed, despite its low tone, that if you interrupted him there would be pain "As there is very little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will believe that this isn't magic. I hardly expect for you to see the beauty in the softly simmering cauldrons with their shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that seep through your veins that can bewitch your mind or ensnare your senses. If you pay attention in my class, I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory or even stopper death - that is of course if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

There was silence met with his declaration. Most of the Hufflepuffs seemed to be quite intimidated and self conscious after his 'introduction' while many of the Ravenclaws seemed to be determined to prove they weren't like the usual 'dunderhead'.

"Potter!" Snape barked "what Potion would I administer to someone to cure Petrifaction?"

Recalling what he had read in his first year books, and the actual Potion he remembered from his second year books, Harry answered "A Mandrake Draught, sir" he answered respectfully, despite the shock the answer instilled to the Professor, who clearly hadn't expected Harry to know or the others who had no idea of the answer either. Many Ravenclaws in the room could be seen scribbling down the question and answer fiercely on a spare piece of parchment

"Lucky guess, I think. Where would I find a bezoar?" Snape continued expecting no answer this time.

"A bezoar is a stone from the stomach of a goat, Professor," Harry said, remembering this answer from his mother's notes as well. "It will save you from most poisons, but not all of them."

Now the Professor looked furious. Snape was looking around at the others sitting with Harry as if he were trying to determine if they were giving Harry the answers. Snape swooped down on Harry like a giant bat with his cloak billowing out behind him in order to hear any whispers that might be coming from Harry's friends. The Professor's reaction to his answers was confusing to Harry. Most teachers liked it when you knew the right answer, but Snape seemed enraged by Harry's knowledge of the subject.

"Last question, what is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?" he said, his temper evidently getting close to breaking point as he leaned forward slightly, clasping his desk with both hands.

Harry, not wanting to appear intimidated glared right back and while gritting his teeth, answered "they are same and are also known by a different name, aconite." He did not wanted to enrage Snape further but he did know the answer from reading his mother's notes, and getting it wrong after learning it from her felt wrong to Harry.

Snape seemed ready to burst as Harry answered, "Who gave you the answers, Potter? Tell me now or it will be a detention for you."

Harry felt rather hurt at being accused of cheating like this. He silently pulled his mother's notebook from his backpack and handed it to the fuming teacher. Snape stared at it for a moment before looking back at Harry.

"What is this piece of trash, Potter?" he snarled, not bothering to really look at the notebook in his hands.

"It's my mother's notebook, Professor," Harry said looking right into Snape's eyes. One would have thought that someone had just slapped the Professor across the face. His face, which had been flushed with rage a moment before, suddenly went chalk white. With trembling hands, Professor Snape handed the notebook back to Harry before walking back to the front of the classroom.

He then turned his attention to the rest of the class. "Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?"

There was a sudden rummaging for quills and parchment. Once everyone had copied that down, Snape put them all into pairs and set them to mixing up a simple potion to cure boils. He swept around in his long black cloak, watching them weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticizing almost everyone. He ignored Harry for rest of the class. Harry got partnered with Susan Bones of Hufflepuff. She was okay in Potions and was a nice person to have conversation with.

Snape didn't criticize their work, mainly because there was nothing for him to complain about. However, he didn't compliment them on their work either. So, the class ended and all the students hurried out of the room not wanting to stay there any longer then necessary.

When the news went around that Harry was able to answer the questions that were higher than their grade, a lot of seniors congratulated him. Penelope also complimented him on his gaining a lot of points for Ravenclaw and not losing any to Snape.

While having breakfast one day, Harry received a mail. Harry didn't have anyone to correspond to, so it was quite a surprise when Hedwig flew down towards them with a letter clutched in her talons, albeit a rather tatty letter. Opening it, Harry found himself looking at a piece of paper covered in a rather large, untidy scrawl, which said;

_Dear Harry,_

_I know you get afternoons off, so would you like to come down to my hut after lunch? I'd like to know how your first week went at Hogwarts._

_Hagrid_

Harry instantly agreed, Harry quickly grabbing a quill and a piece of parchment to scrawl '_Yes please, see you later'_ and give it to Hedwig and continued with breakfast.

At five to three, Harry left the castle and headed off down to Hagrid's small stone hut, located on the outskirts of the castle grounds, on the boundary of the nearby Forbidden Forest. As Harry knocked on the door, a loud barking was heard from the other side of the door, accompanied by a "Back, Fang, _back_!"

Hagrid's large bushy face peered out of the window, looking at him with a small smile.

"Hang on," he said, cheerily. "_Back_, Fang!"

After a moment's pause, the door opened, revealing a small stone room with a table, assorted chairs, and a fireplace, Hagrid straining to hold onto a great black boarhound.

"Make yerselves at home," Hagrid said, as he let go of the dog and turned to look at the kettle. The dog bounded over to Harry and immediately began liking his ears eagerly; like Hagrid, Fang was clearly far less dangerous than he looked.

The rock cakes he offered almost broke his teeth, but Harry just smiled and assured him that he was enjoying the cakes. The tea, if nothing else, helped to make up for somewhat poor condition of the food. Despite this, he enjoyed the chance to talk to his friend about the lessons. Hagrid mostly seemed willing to listen to him, but when it came to Snape's treatment of Harry in Potions class, he simply told Harry not to worry about it; Snape never seemed to like any of the students outside of Slytherin.

As Hagrid steered the conversation back to Hogwarts as a whole, Harry started talking to Hagrid about a few of the other teachers. While Hagrid was distracted, Harry picked up a piece of paper that was lying underneath the tea cosy, noting to his surprise that it was a cutting from the _Daily Prophet_:

GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST

_Investigations continue into the break-in of Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown._  
_Gringotts' goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day._  
"_But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you," said Gringotts' spokesgoblin this afternoon. _

Harry's eyes widened slightly in surprise. He vaguely recalled hearing something about a recent theft in Gringotts, but nobody had mentioned the date…

Now that he knew, however, his suspicions were aroused.

That theft had taken place on his birthday.

He briefly thought about mentioning the fact to Hagrid, but decided against it; if the gamekeeper wouldn't satisfy his curiosity about a minor thing like Snape, he probably would be even _more _reluctant to talk about something like a theft of the only wizard bank in existence…

Glancing over the story again, Harry's hovered over the line _emptied the same day_.

_It _can't _be a coincidence_… he thought to himself.

Hagrid had 'emptied' (If you could call it that) the mysterious vault seven hundred and thirteen that day, by removing the small grubby brown package and putting it in his pocket. Had _that _been what he was there for?

They talked for a while more and then Harry went back to his common room. During the whole week, Harry had explored the castle as much as he could with the help of Marauder's Map. He didn't want anyone to know about it and therefore had kept it a secret.

Unfortunately, Harry managed to get on the wrong side of Filch the caretaker on the second day of term. Filch found him exploring and making way through a door which unluckily turned out to be the entrance to the out-of-bounds corridor on the third floor. He wouldn't believe that he was lost, was sure that he was trying to break into it on purpose and was threatening to lock him in the dungeons he was rescued by Professor Quirrell, who was passing.

Harry maintained his neutral position in the school not aligning nor going against either Draco Malfoy, who assumed himself as 'Prince of Slytherin' nor Ron Weasley who was quite vocal about his dislike towards 'those slimy snakes'.

Harry continued with his independent studies and had progressed further with spells. He was thankful to Penelope who despite being in an OWL year, always assisted him in getting a spell right. It looked like she had taken a bit of liking to him as she never refused anything to him and always answered his questions. Harry also made sure not to disturb her while she was studying or was having fun with friends and only went to her when she was alone. All other house mates and friends were also very good to Harry and he felt that he was on a right path towards making a new life for himself.

To Be Continued………………


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: Once again thanks for all the reviews. I'm trying to write the chapters as soon as I can so please bear with me. Do tell me how you find this chapter. Have a happy reading…….**

**CHAPTER – 9 **

**FLYING & HALLOWE'EN**

**September, 2000**

There was a special type of anticipation in the air. All the first years seemed pretty excited because today, flying lessons were going to be held for the first years. Students could easily be seen bragging about their flying skills and different encounters they faced while playing Quidditch. Most vocal about their experiences were of course Malfoy and youngest Weasley. The rivalry between them had already cost their house a lot of points and quite a few people of their houses were becoming irritated with them.

Harry too was excited about flying. His father had written in his journal that when he entered Hogwarts, Quidditch was his first love and he wanted to be a professional Quidditch player. James learned to fly at the age of eight from his father and was quite good at it. Harry too wanted to learn flying and carry on his father's legacy of being a good Quidditch player. Last night he along with his dorm mates had discussed Quidditch well into the night.

This year it was decided that the Gryffindor and Slytherin will have flying lessons in the morning leaving the rest two houses with the evening slot. The students of the latter two houses were a bit disappointed not wanting to wait anymore. Even Harry didn't know how to concentrate on the Transfiguration lesson that they had in the morning.

Students could be seen fidgeting all through the lesson due to the anticipation building among them. During the lesson, Professor McGonagall was called away unexpectedly. She returned fifteen minutes later looking very angry. They could hear her muttering about '_foolish children and their rivalries'._ All the students were obviously a bit curious and one of them asked her about it.

She looked up suddenly realizing how everyone was looking at her curiously. She looked like she would refuse to tell them about it but then thought better of it and said "Two foolish students of opposite houses were found pulling stunts on their first flying lesson in air in the absence of the flying instructor when they were strictly forbidden to do it. This carelessness resulted in both of them falling from their brooms from the height of twenty feet. They received several bruises and broken bones and are right now being looked at by Healer Poppy Pomfrey. Both of them are safe now. They both have received a week's worth detention with Mr. Filch."

Her anger and disappointment could easily be felt through her voice. All students felt even more nervous than before hearing about the injuries and its cause. All excitement had vanished leaving a feeling a bit of fear. Harry being a bit curious asked "Who were they Professor?"

She looked at him and said "Ronald Weasley and Draco Malfoy"

'_Who else could be foolish enough to perform things like this' _thought Harry.

The lesson finally ended and they went towards Great Hall for lunch. There they found that Hogwarts rumor mill was as its best. According to the spectators after Longbottom had received an injury and Madam Hooch went with him to the hospital wing, Malfoy flew up in the air with Longbottom's fallen Remembrall and taunted Weasley. Weasley being a Gryffindor went in the air to retrieve it trying to act hero. In the air they started fist-fighting resulting in both of them falling off their brooms.

After lunch all the first year Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students went down to the Quidditch Pitch. Madame Hooch came striding across the field towards them. Her eyes instantly drew Harry's attention. Whether it was the startling yellow of her irises, or the fact that she seemed to look at each of them like a bird of prey, Harry felt that this was not a woman to fool around with.

"Good afternoon," Madame Hooch said to the crowd of students. "I am here to teach you how to fly. I do not tolerate any foolishness in my lessons. If I catch any of you fooling around, I will see to it that you are expelled from Hogwarts for endangering your lives, and the lives of other students. I have already had a bunch of most stupid fools this morning and I don't require any more events. Do I make myself clear?"

"YES, MADAME HOOCH!" answered every student in the class in one strong voice.

"Good," continued the flying instructor calmly. "Now everyone stand next to one of the brooms I have laid out in front of you."

Harry looked down at the ground and noticed for the first time several rows of school brooms that were arranged in front of Madame Hooch. Glancing around, he watched the other students take their positions next to the school brooms, many of them looking a bit green as they looked down at the broom. Harry, along with Terry and Anthony, moved to a set of brooms furthest from Madame Hooch with Padma taking the next one in line from them.

"I want each of you to hold your hands over your brooms and, in a clear and firm voice, command them up into your hands," Hooch said as she walked back and forth in front of the gathered students.

Each of the students did as instructed by Madame Hooch. Most of their brooms rose quickly into the outstretched hands of the students, Harry and Terry's brooms among them. However, there were several students whose brooms did not so much as twitch as the students beside them repeatedly pleaded with the seemingly inanimate objects to move. Anthony's broom rose up about a foot from the ground before falling back to the ground. Padma's broom did not even twitch although the black haired girl tried repeatedly in a pleading voice.

"You have to really mean it, Anthony," Harry said in a voice that was just loud enough to carry to Padma. "If you are nervous, or afraid, it won't work."

Anthony looked into Harry's eyes for a moment before nodding and closing his eyes. A moment later he commanded the broom at his feet to rise, which it did with surprising speed. On the other side of Anthony, Padma and a few others watched all of this before they also commanded their broom up into her hand. This time they all succeeded and smiled gratefully at Harry.

"Excellent work, Mr. Potter," whispered Madame Hooch as she walked past him. "I think that deserves 10 points for Ravenclaw."

Harry smiled shyly as he watched the rest of the students finally accomplish Madame Hooch's instructions.

"Well done," said the instructor as she marched back to stand in front of them once again. "Now we will mount our brooms." Madam Hooch went along the line and began to instruct everyone how to mount the brooms. Harry was pleasantly surprised to learn that he got it right on the first try- it was a lot harder than it looked.

"Alright," continued Madame Hooch finally. "When I blow my whistle, you will all kick off hard and rise a few feet in the air. You will then return to the ground. I will then advise you of what you did right or wrong. Now, everyone get ready." With that she blew her whistle.

Harry lightly pushed his legs in the ground, up he soared, air rushed through his hair and his robes whipped out behind him - and in a rush of fierce joy he realized he'd found something he could do without being taught - this was easy, this was wonderful. As the lesson progressed with more and more people dropping out, not wanting to proceed further, Harry really got the hang of flying around on a broomstick and immediately enjoyed flying around in the air as fast as the rickety school brooms would take him.

Towards the end of the lesson when they were about to come down, there was a high pitched shriek. Everyone turned around to find Mrs. Norris, Mr. Filch's cat falling from the Astronomy Tower. Before anyone else could react, Harry steered his broom towards the tower putting all his might wanting the broom to increase its pace. As the cat began to descend, so did Harry. Now there were three problems for Harry; how to reach the cat, how to avoid the wall of tower and how to escape from being pummeled into the ground.

Harry put a bit more speed and just caught Mrs. Norris before she made contact with ground. Harry also pulled the broomstick away with as much force as he could lest he collides with ground or wall. His tip of broomstick touched the ground while his shoes touched the green grass. He went towards the crowd to find every single person with their mouth hung open with expressions of amazement and awe filled on their faces.

"Is everything okay?" he asked.

This seemed to snap them all out of shock and they all started shouting at once expressing their thoughts.

"_you fly so well……"_

"_why didn't you tell……"_

"_what were you thinking……"_

Finally, Madam Hooch had enough and she blew her whistle with full force causing all of them jump into air.

"Silence everyone. Lesson has ended. Now go back to your own dormitories. Mr. Potter, stay back."

She walked near him and said "Are you alright?" Harry just nodded.

She looked at the cat and said "It looks like Mrs. Norris fainted during her fall. Let's move to the Hospital Wing."

With that both of them started moving towards the aforementioned place. Harry was silently contemplating the rules he could have broken or the punishment he could receive. As far as he could say, he didn't do anything against Madam Hooch's order.

"You are a natural in air Mr. Potter. I haven't seen this amount of talent in my life. Your skill is unmatched even at the professional level. But the stunt you pulled was very careless. Did you not think for a second that you had come this close to losing your life?"

"I'm really sorry Madam Hooch, but whatever I did on the Quidditch field was instinctive. I hadn't thought about it for a moment. It just sort of happened." He said as a way of explanation.

"Apology accepted." She replied not knowing what to say.

They reached the hospital wing, where they found that Mrs. Norris would be perfectly fine and Harry went back to his common room. As soon as he entered the room, he found all his year mates anxiously waiting for him. He was bombarded with questions from all around. He calmed them down and assured them that he was alright and not going to be expelled. While he was going for dinner towards the Great hall, Filch caught with him and thanked him a lot of times. Harry created history by being the first student Filch ever treated nicely. Even the teachers were gob smacked with the historic event.

In the evening he got an invitation from Professor Flitwick. He wondered the cause and came to a conclusion that it must be about the morning incident. He entered the office of his Head of house to find him sitting behind his desk on a chair that was especially made for him. There was one other student, a fifth year by looks sitting there. Harry greeted Professor and quickly sat down on the offered seat.

"Mr. Potter, it has come to my attention that you went through an accident in the evening during your flying lesson. Are you alright?" Flitwick asked.

"Yes, I'm fine Professor. Umm...Why am I called sir? " he inquired.

"Today Madam Hooch talked to me about you and according to her; you show phenomenal talent in flying. She has recommended that I should take you into my Quidditch team. Are you interested?" Flitwick commented excitedly.

Harry was shocked by the proposal but came out of stupor and gave his affirmation. Flitwick clapped his hands with happiness and said "All other details you can gather from Mr. Ellwood. He is Ravenclaw Quidditch captain. I have high hopes for you Mr. Potter. We have not won Quidditch cup in nine years and I think you could get it for me. So do your best." Flitwick said passionately.

He dismissed both of his students. When they reached out of the office, Ellwood turned to him and said "I am Robert Ellwood. Fifth year Ravenclaw and Chaser on the team. Your practice will start from tomorrow. Get every bit of rest you can because once you start your practice, you won't get a chance for any rest. See you in the Quidditch Pitch Potter." With that he turned and went his way.

Harry stared at the place where Ellwood was standing moments ago for a few minutes. Then suddenly a grin broke out on his face. He had finally done something he knew would make his father proud of him. He turned towards his common room with a flip in his foot steps. He reached the room and told all his friends about his selection in the Quidditch team. All of them were very excited and amazed. Most of them were happy and assured that this year they were going to win.

Next day, the Quidditch practice proved tiring and exhausting. Team consisted of r chasers, two beaters, a keeper and a seeker. Harry was the seeker of the team and his main goal was to catch the snitch before his opponent which would result in one fifty points and end of the game. Chasers were Ellwood, Roger Davies and Athena Merrythought. Beaters were Patrick and Alex while the keeper was Max.

The team in itself was good. In the next few Practice sessions Harry was taught different moves, strategies, plays and rules about Quidditch. He was improving very fast and Ellwood was very happy with his performance. The team had a high morale and was very optimistic for their win.

Two months went very fast for Harry Potter. He was very busy with classes, Quidditch Practice, independent studies and spending time with friends. He had developed strong friendship with Terry and Padma. They had become his closest friends. Ha was also amicable with other students of his house like Morag, Anthony and Su Li. He had developed a good companionship with Daphne who was his partner in Herbology and Susan with whom he worked in Potions. He decided to fill his 'expanded potion vials' with the potions that he made during class and felt that they might help him in future.

As for other classes, Harry continued to dominate in most classes. All the teachers were happy with his hard work and talent. He always got very good marks in all his assignments. Hermione, the bushy haired Gryffindor was not happy with his continued excellence in classes and tried her level best to defeat him. Her house mates considered her a bookworm or know-it-all. Harry never paid any sort of attention to her. The Ravenclaw students of his year had formed a study group of sort and completed their homework in that time, asking each other if they had any difficulty.

As for the independent studies, Harry continued them at his pace. He was on the verge of ending the first year course and felt very proud of his accomplishments. Penelope was happy too as she now considered Harry a sort of younger brother and was ready for his help at any time.

Ron and Draco continued their rivalry, taunting and humiliating each other every time they met. It had become a great source of amusement and irritation for everyone. The teacher seemed to get tired of these frequent fights and always gave them punishment for it. Both of them had not tried to talk to Harry anymore for which he was thankful because he didn't want to choose any side.

**31****st**** October, 2000**

Today was Hallowe'en and there was a sort of festive atmosphere all around. Harry on the other hand was not very happy. This was the day when his family was attacked by Voldemort. This was the day when he lost his parents and a chance to spend his life with them. In the morning he rose a bit before his usual time and spent it by looking at different things he had of his parents from albums to their journals and finally the letter they had written for him.

After spending sometime looking at them he decided to visit Hagrid and got dressed. He visited Hagrid once in a while and had started to consider him as one of his friends. Hagrid too was always delighted when Harry talked with him.

Harry remained with Hagrid till it was time for Breakfast talking about his parents. Hagrid seemed to understand his plight and told him different encounters he had with the Marauders and Lily. They talked for a while and finally moved towards Great hall. Harry went through the normal routine all the day.

The only abnormal thing that happened was during Charms lesson when Ron took out all his anger and frustration on Hermione. Harry felt really sorry for the girl when he saw her crying and running away from the class. Apart from that there was nothing exciting going on. Tonight there was going to be a celebratory Hallowe'en feast for which all the people were very excited. But Harry had no interest in it and he wanted to spend sometime alone. So he stayed in his dorm for sometime and then went out in the school grounds and laid on the school ground looking at the stars in the sky.

He stayed there for a while not knowing how much time he spent there and decided to go back to his dorm. While in the way to the tower, he heard a high pitched shriek that could only come out of a girl's mouth. He started running towards it and found himself in the Girls bathroom. There standing in all his glory was a troll.

It was a horrible sight. Twelve feet tall, its skin was dull, granite grey, its great lumpy body like a boulder with its small bald head perched on top like a coconut. It had had short legs thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet. The stench was horrid, probably only matched in disgusting-ness by its looks. It had a rather large wooden club and was dressed in large and ragged clothes. It had grey and lumpy skin with wickedly horned feet.

There shrinking against the opposite wall was Hermione Granger, looking as if she was about to faint. The troll was advancing on her, knocking the sink off as it went. Harry was caught in a very difficult situation. He tried a few spells that could work against him but with no result. The hide of troll was spell resistant and thick. He looked around and found water on the floor. He turned it into ice using a _Glacius _charm. As soon as the troll took one more step, he fell down because of absence of friction. Harry quickly levitated the huge club of troll and maneuvered it to hit the troll in face.

He continued to hit it for a long time and stopped only when he was sure it was unconscious. He ran towards Hermione, knelt before her and shook her.

"Are you fine now? Is there any injury?" he asked frantically.

Before she could answer any questions, there was a sudden slamming of the door and a cacophony of footsteps. Both of them looked up to find Professors McGonagall, Snape and Quirrell bursting in the room. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart.

Snape bent over the troll. Professor McGonagall was looking at Harry. Harry had never seen her look so angry. Her lips were white. Hopes of winning fifty points for Ravenclaw faded quickly from Harry's mind.

"What on earth were you thinking of? " said Professor McGonagall, with cold fury in her voice.

"You are lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't both of you in your dormitories?" she asked.

Then a small voice came out of the shadows.  
"Please, Professor McGonagall – he was looking for me."

"Miss Granger!"

Hermione had managed to get to her feet at last.  
"I went looking for the troll because I - I thought I could deal with it on my own - you know, because I've read all about them."

Harry couldn't believe it. Hermione Granger was downright lying to a teacher. What is the world coming upto? He started getting really angry.

He said in a harsh whisper "Granger, do you want me to regret saving you? Tell the truth." She flinched visibly and shuddered a little but shook her head.

"Well then I would tell the truth. She was here crying, because a member of your house Ron Weasley taunted her and screamed at her while she was trying to help him learn the spell properly in Charms. She didn't know there was a troll around here at all."

Harry didn't know that McGonagall's anger could increase any further but it did. But then came the snide remark of Snape.

"And what were you doing here?"

"I was just on my way to the tower when I heard a scream. I came running down here to find troll trying to kill Hermione." Harry explained.

"But you were supposed to be with your prefects. What were you doing wandering alone in the castle?" asked McGonagall.

"I never went to the feast. I was coming inside after spending some time outside." Harry reasoned.

"And why pray tell were you outside in the school grounds when everyone else was celebrating Hallowe'en?" asked Snape snidely.

"Because I didn't want to celebrate on the day when I lost my parents. I wanted to spend sometime alone. Did I do something against the rules?" he asked sarcastically.

Pin-Drop silence. Not a single voice emerged from the mouths of anyone. They were all staring at him unabashedly. McGonagall looked shameful and said

"I apologize, Mr. Potter. You did not do anything wrong. We all were just worried about your safety. Now, can you tell us how you defeated a troll?"

Harry went on to explain his actions. At the end of his explanation, all of them were looking amazed. McGonagall said

"Very good Mr. Potter. You used simple spells very uniquely. I think Professor Flitwick will be very happy with your choice of spells and how you implemented them. I give fifty points to Ravenclaw for your courageous actions which resulted in saving life of a student." With that she dismissed him to his dormitory.

Harry not wanting to stay there anymore went out. While he was leaving, he saw that Snape had an injury in his leg and seemed to be limping while walking. Harry dismissed the thought and went to the dormitory. As he entered the common room, he found Penelope getting hyper with every passing minute. When she saw him she came towards him and hugged him hard.

"Where were you? Do you know how worried I was when I did not see you in the common room after the announcement?"

Harry calmed her down and explained all the things that took place. At the end of the story she hugged him one again and said

"I know I can't stop you from doing dangerous things like this but make sure to get out of them safely."

Harry just nodded while yawning. Penelope also saw this and sent him to his bed. That night Harry slept very deeply, exhausted with all days events.

SSS


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER – 10**

** QUIDDITCH & WINTERS**

**1****st**** November, 2000**

The next day Harry woke up a bit late than usual. He went down to have breakfast and while eating he told his friends about everything that happened last night. They were perfect listeners and gasped at perfect time. At the end they were looking at him in awe and Harry was a bit flustered. They finished with the food and went towards the scheduled class. The day went normally apart from Harry's meeting with Flitwick. He congratulated him on his actions last night and said that he approached the task '_with your father's bravery and mother's intelligence'._ Harry was very happy with the compliment and had a smile plastered on his face the whole day.

At the end of the last class of the day, Harry and his friends were walking from the Charms corridor when Hermione came towards them.

"Could I have a word with you Potter?" she asked nervously. Harry nodded and motioned her towards an empty classroom while telling his friends to go ahead without him.

Hermione was fidgeting in her place so Harry asked

"You wanted to talk to me about something?"

She took a deep breath and answered in a determined voice "Yes, first of all I would like to thank you for saving my life yesterday and that too at personal risk. I owe you my life. Secondly, I would like to apologize for not speaking the truth yesterday. I knew that Professor McGonagall would be very unhappy if she knew about Ronald's behavior and would take away points from Gryffindor so I just wanted to save those points. Also I would like to apologize about my behavior with you in classes. It's just that before coming here, I was always the best at academics and here I have to compromise with second position. It's a bit difficult for me to handle this."

"I understand your perspective Granger but you must understand that while studying is very important, making friends is important too. You have this obsession to be the best at studies which forces you to spend all your time in library or with books. This alienates you from others. So think about it. Also, no thanks is required because I would have done this even if you were not there, I would have tried to stop it before it could harm anyone else." Harry said patiently, knowing how it feels without any friends.

"Thanks for the advice. I would most certainly think about it." she said while thinking deeply.

Harry nodded and moved towards the door. While he was opening the door, he turned to her and said

"A few friends of mine including me have a study group of sorts where we help each other out in doing assignments and homework. If you would like to join, you can come at our table in the library after classes." With that parting shot, Harry left the classroom leaving Hermione to her thoughts. For the first time someone had talked to her properly and she felt that maybe, just maybe she was on her way to get her first friend.

From that day onwards Hermione joined their study group. Nobody had any problem with it because they all knew that she was brilliant. There were a few instances when she did something that others didn't like, but Harry always made sure to point it out to her. Hermione too tried her best to improve. This caused her to make a few friends. People in her house too started talking to her normally. In short her life started changing for better.

The year entered in the month of November and with it, all the school grounds became covered with snow. It gave a magnificent view to the castle. All the students could be seen around the fireplace in the common rooms. The Potions classes in the Dungeons became much more difficult because of the cold.

In the month of November, the first Quidditch match of the season took place. It was between Slytherin and Gryffindor, the houses with most rivalry. In the last week, a lot of scuffles took place in the corridors. Pranks were played on regular basis. Fights took place constantly between the houses. Respective house teams always traveled with a bunch of students surrounding them, not wanting to have anyone injured before the game.

The game went smoothly. While the chasers for Gryffindor, three girls, very talented, the beaters of the Slytherin team were very accurate and Slytherin team as a whole was always known for their rough game. In the beginning, Gryffindor took lead because of a good coordination among the chasers and a fantastic keeper, but later due to rough game played by Slytherin players got injured and Slytherin were able to catch up the score, in the end Slytherin seeker caught the snitch ending the game with a victory of one thirty points for Slytherin.

All the members of Slytherin house were very happy and teased the members of house of Godric a lot. Gryffindors were very disappointed with their performance. After two weeks was the next game between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Ellwood made sure to have Quidditch practice at least four times a week. All the players came very exhausted from the pitch but nobody complained because they wanted to win the game with a good margin. Harry had bought the best broom in the market _'Nimbus Two Thousand'._ This only resulted in increasing the morale of the team and Ellwood decided to keep it a secret

At last the day of match arrived. Ellwood cancelled the practice yesterday because he wanted all the players well rested. Harry ate a fixed amount of breakfast. He was a bit excited and nervous but he knew how to handle it and calm himself because he had found himself in position like this a lot of times in his primary school when he played football.

At last all the team rose from their seats and started walking towards the locker room amidst the applause of their house mates. All were wishing them and saying encouraging things to them. In the locker room, they all dressed up in silence and gathered around a centre table. Ellwood looked at all of them in eye and said

"We have the best team with talent. We have trained our arse off. We have got the best players. The weather is perfect for the game. We have everything we require to become a champion. There is nothing that can stop us." He said all this with conviction while staring at each of them in eye. Then he took a deep breath and shouted at the top of his lungs "SO ARE YOU READY TO START A JOURNEY TOWARDS BEING CHAMPIONS?"

"YES, CAPTAIN" screamed every team member feeling energy among them.

"Then lets go for it." Ellwood said and walked out of the locker room with the team following him.

The stadium was filled to brim. It looked like it was painted with Blue on one side and Yellow on other. Slytherin seemed to be supporting Ravenclaw while Gryffindors were with Hufflepuff. Harry felt braver at seeing the support.

Madam Hooch was standing in the middle of the pitch, ready to referee the game, with her broom in hand. Harry noticed, with some form of amusement, that the opposing team's eyes widened a fraction when they caught sight of his broom.

"Now, as you all know, I expect a good, clean game," she said, as a formality, not really expecting anything less from these two teams.

"Mount your brooms please, on my whistle, you may begin," she said as Harry steadily mounted his broom with his feet firmly planted on the ground, waiting for her whistle.

At the sound of a loud whistle, fifteen brooms shot up into the air.

Harry shot out the fastest. He was in his game now. He was fully concentrating while listening to Lee Jordan who was commentating.

"And we're off, the Quaffle is immediately taken by Athena Merrythought of Ravenclaw being the closest to the ball at the time, what an excellent chaser that girl is, and rather attractive too."

"JORDAN!"

"Sorry Professor" Jordan said without sounding apologetic.

"She's really flying down the middle of the pitch towards the Hufflepuff goal, a sizzling pass to Davies who takes the quaffle under his wing and advanced toward Worthington, the veteran Hufflepuff keeper. Davies passes it to Ellwood, and NO, what's this? Jacob Smith of Hufflepuff has intercepted it and passes it to Edward BUT NO! Potter has created confusion and Ravenclaw are on the breakaway with the help of Potter, Ravenclaw's chaser Athena has the quaffle flanked by Ellwood and Davis. Potter performs a barrel roll to avoid a well aimed bludger from Hufflepuff beater. Athena and Ellwood put their heads down and speed towards the Hufflepuff goal, blocking the keeper's sight of the Quaffle, is that even allowed?" he shouted, amidst the cheers and the jeers from the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff stands respectively.

"And Davis SCORES as Athena and Ellwood veer off at the last moment to give their team mate a clear shot, ten nothing to Ravenclaw after a good team move."

While this was going on, Harry was looking all over the field searching for the golden ball and making sure that the opposing seeker Cedric Diggory, a third year Hufflepuff didn't get a hold of it before him. Ellwood's instructions were clear. He wanted to win the game with huge margin so he could take lead in the overall cup standings. Harry was to run diversions and help the chasers during the game. He also had to make sure that Diggory didn't see the Snitch.

So he looked around once more and didn't see any speck of gold. He saw Diggory taking rounds all around the pitch. Harry steered his broom towards the chasers. For the next fifty minutes Harry ran diversions which resulted in creating confusion among opposition beaters and chasers. He also helped in intercepting the quaffle.

In the fifty fifth minute of the game, Harry stopped flying and took a look around. He immediately noticed that Ravenclaw was ahead by 160-50. Hufflepuff beaters had been throwing Bludger at Harry and the Chaser's nonstop, but Harry knew the Beaters were getting tired. Harry kept his eye on the Cedric. Harry hadn't made a single feint throughout the whole game yet, and he decided to do one now. With a fake sudden concentration, Harry immediately dived toward the ground. Immediately Diggory was on his tail. He had the 2nd the fastest broom next to the Nimbus 2000… a Comet 300.

He was flying towards the ground at top speed with Diggory following him and eyes of hundreds of people on him. Just before he reached it, he turned the broom in a u-turn with tips of his toes touching the grass. He flew upwards and looked down to see Madam Hooch and Pomfrey running towards Diggory who had somehow slowed himself in the final seconds because of which he only received a bruise. Ellwood came flying towards him and said

"That's the best Wronsky Feint I have ever seen. Way to go, Harry."

It took a minute and game resumed again. Now the score was 210-60. Harry started to move towards the other side when he first felt it. At first, it was just a slight shudder in the way his broom flew and how the broom seemed to fight his control. Harry started talking softly to the broom, begging it not to do this to him now but to no avail. It was buckling so hard that he lost his grip on the handle and was only hanging with the help of his hands wrapped around the stick. It continued to happen like this while his team beaters were circling under him ready to catch him if he falls. His team chasers were trying to save and put maximum goals they could, knowing they couldn't help Harry.

It continued for a half-minute and the broom suddenly stopped vibrating. It was a good thing, because right then he saw it. In the distance, maybe fifty or sixty feet higher, Harry saw the Snitch. Putting on an amazing burst of speed, Harry zoomed towards the Snitch as it continued to rise into the air. All he could hear was the wind roaring past his ears as he stretched out his hand to grab the shining little orb.

Suddenly, without any warning, Harry's broom stopped dead in the air. Before Harry even knew what was going on, he shot over the handle of the broom and flew into the air. His hand caught the Snitch tightly in his grasp, but suddenly winning the game seemed to pale in comparison to the fact that he was falling towards the ground far below him. Harry had not realized how high he had been, but now he knew without a doubt that a fall from this height would be the end of him.

A strange memory came to Harry as he plummeted toward the ground. It was the memory of him standing outside with the other students during their first flying lesson. Madame Hooch had just instructed them to command their broom up into their hands, and Harry's had snapped up into his as soon as he said it. Rolling over in the air, and trying to forget that he was falling, Harry looked up at his still frozen broom and stretched out his free hand to it.

"TO ME!" he roared.

To his amazement, there was a brief pulse of dark green light from the broom before it suddenly zoomed to his hand. The sound that the broom made as it connected with his hand was both startling and comforting. Harry's hand stung from the contact, but he did not let go. Using the momentum of the broom, Harry swung back up onto it just in time to see the ground rushing up towards him. With barely a moment to spare, Harry pulled up hard on the broom's handle, leveling out and skimming across the green grass in a blur of speed.

When he finally came to a stop, planting both feet firmly on the ground once more, Harry looked first at his broom and then at the Golden Snitch still fluttering weakly in his hand. It struck him how quiet the pitch was, and looking up Harry saw that no one was moving. Not a spectator or player moved. If not for the pennants flapping in the wind, Harry would have thought time had stopped completely. As he lifted the hand with the Snitch in it high into the air, he watched the other players slowly land without a sound.

"Ravenclaw wins, 370-90." said the commentator, Fred and George's friend Lee Jordan, so quietly that Harry barely noticed it. Then, as if someone had set off a bomb, the crowd erupted into an ear-splitting roar of applause and shouts.

"WHAT AN AMAZING PERFORANCE BY POTTER IN HIS FIRST MATCH! ONE MOMENT HE WAS ALMOST GOING TO FALL DOWN BECAUSE OF SOME PROBLEM WITH THE BROOM AND NEXT MOMENT HE WAS AFTER THE SNITCH AND SUDDENLY HIS BROOM STOPS MOVING BUT POTTER DOESN'T. HE IS FALLING DOWN THE PITCH AND CATCHES THE SNITCH IN MID-AIR. THEN BEFORE REACHING THE GROUND, CALLS HIS BROOM TO HIM AND MOUNTED ON IT BEFORE COLLOIDING WITH THE GROUND AND SAFELY LANDED. WHAT A BLOODY-FREAKING CATCH. EVEN THE PROFESSIONALS WON'T BE ABLE TO PULL IT OFF." Jordan shouted with all his might. McGonagall was too shocked to berate him for his language.

Harry was hugged from all sides by his teammates. They were all shouting at the top of their lungs and congratulating each other. The Ravenclaws were running across the field to meet them while they cheered and hugged.

In the end while Harry was departing the field, Cedric Diggory came to him and said

"That was an awesome display of flying Potter. I don't think I could have pulled it off, that's for sure. You deserve the win. Congrats!"

Harry shook the offered hand and replied "you were pretty good too, Diggory. And sorry for the bruise you got because of my feint. It was nothing personal."

"Don't worry about it. I understand. Even I have caused a few injuries to others during the play, so don't worry. You enjoy your party Potter, you have earned it." with that last comment he left.

There was a huge party that night. Everyone congratulated the team and they celebrated while dancing, eating and having fun all around. The party continued till two in the morning and stopped only when Flitwick came and told them to head to their respective dormitories.

Next day all his female friends reprimanded him for endangering life because of 'a worthless tiny golden ball' while male friends thumped him on the back for it. Penelope also berated him but conceded the fact that it felt good that Ravenclaw won.

The next month Harry concentrated on studies knowing that he had already neglected it a bit because of Quidditch. He had already completed his course for first year in Transfiguration, Potions, Charms and DADA during his independent studies. He used his parents' textbooks for further reading. He had also decided to take the _Unending Notebooks _in use. He made one for each of the aforementioned subjects and wrote whatever spells he learned, their wand movement, uses and any special points about them. For Potions he wrote their effects, procedure of making them, utility and short tricks. This way, these notebooks contained everything he learned providing him easy revision.

As Christmas began to approach, the castle became increasingly more strange and remarkable- something that Harry would have been prepared to claim was impossible only a month ago. It was becoming commonplace to see snowballs following various teachers- commonly Snape and Quirrell- around after classes until they had the chance to hit the teachers at a particularly embarrassing moment, commonly when they were about to start a lesson. The temperature was so cold that the lake was now covered with ice thick enough to apparently support an elephant, and any owl that made it through the blizzard had to be nursed back to health by Hagrid.

It was on days like these, more than anything that made Harry wish Hogwarts included central heating. The stone castle may have been warm enough in the summer, but these days, apart from the fires in the Great Hall and common rooms, the classrooms were so cold that it was sometimes hard to hear the teachers over the chattering of teeth, and Potions in particular proved a nightmare, down in the dungeons that seemed as though nobody had improved them since the day the castle had been constructed. Admittedly, this last was for two reasons; the temperature was so cold that their breath rose before them in a mist and everyone huddled around their cauldrons regardless of the potential risks of the potion they were making.

Finally the Christmas holidays arrived. Almost all of the Ravenclaws had gone home. Only a few NEWT and OWL level students had opted to stay in the castle. Harry felt a bit weird roaming in the silent castle. It felt almost lifeless without the usual chatter that existed there because of so many teenagers all over the year. Weasleys had also decided to spend the holidays in Hogwarts. Harry spent a bit of time with them playing snowball fights. He also tried a few games of chess against Ron but found that winning against him was almost impossible.

Harry had already bought presents for those he considered his friends using Owl-posts. He bought a 'Home Work Manager' for Hermione and Padma. For Terry and Anthony, he got the signed shirts of their favorite Quidditch players. For Susan and Daphne, he bought a ten-galleon shopping voucher at Madam Malkin's. For Penelope, he bought a deluxe set of quills. It contained quills of every kind. Harry knew he went a bit overboard with her present but he considered her his sister of sorts and felt that she deserved it. He bought the latest high level spell books for Professors McGonagall and Flitwick in their respective subjects. As for Hagrid he gave him a coupon of Ten-galleons in Magical Menagerie. For others he bought chocolate frogs and candies.

Harry spent quite a bit of time in library doing his independent studies and was almost completed with the second year course. He had started picking up spells easily now as compared to before and felt great with his pace in learning. Only Penelope knew his true status in studies. Harry didn't tell his friends because he didn't want to come out as a bragging person.

Harry spent whole day in the library and finally decided to take a break. Harry had explored almost the entire castle except the right side of the third floor. He decided to do it now, knowing that very few people were in the castle. He knew it was foolish of him to go into the restricted area but he couldn't resist. He was very curious about it and blamed the feeling on his father knowing of his adventurous nature. The corridor was not as neat as other parts of the castle. It may be due to the fact that it was not frequented for many months. There were cobwebs and a lot of dust all around.

At the end of the corridor Harry saw a big wooden door. He pulled out his wand and pushed the door a little but it didn't budge. It was locked. Harry used an _Alohamora _and the door unlocked. He quietly opened it and entered. He shut the door and turned around to find himself staring at the cause of all restrictions. His jaw dropped in horror. Six huge black eyes were staring at him. Standing there, drool hanging from its jaws, teeth bared that would have put a saber-toothed tiger to shame, was a large, three-headed dog about the size of Harry's room back home. A part of Harry's mind registered that there was some kind of wooden door in the floor under the dog's paws, but the rest of him was focused more on the immediate problem he faced.

He calmed himself own by taking a deep breath and as the dog lunged towards him, its jaws wide open as though preparing to bite him, Harry grabbed the door-handle and dived out into the deserted corridor. He ran at full speed towards the common room wanting to put as much space as possible between him and the dog. When he reached the room, he sat on a couch while calming himself. After sometime when he had his breathing under control, he decided to always take Dumbledore's warning seriously.

The day before Christmas, Harry spent flying or playing with the remaining students in the ground. After having dinner, he decided to call an early night and went to his bed. That night Harry dreamt of celebrating Christmas with his parents.

TO BE CONTINUED…….


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: Hope you people like it. It's a totally new perspective. So your comments are valuable. Have a nice read….. **

**CHAPTER – 11**

** CHRISTMAS & GODRIC'S HOLLOW**

**25****th**** December, 2000**

Harry woke up to the excited chirpings of birds from the Forbidden Forest. It felt like even nature was celebrating Christmas. Harry sat up on bed and looked ahead to find a load of Christmas presents for him. He felt very excited with his haul. He was used to receive a few gifts from his friends every year. Dursleys only allowed him to have the special turkey meal with them as a sort of gift.

He quickly started opening gifts. He had received books named _'Ways of traveling in Wizarding World' and_ _'Best Seekers ever and their signature moves'_ from Hermione and Padma respectively. It seemed that Terry and Anthony had contributed in getting him a set of Seeker gloves and posters of best present seekers for him. From Daphne and Tracey, he got a practice Snitch that was enchanted not to get lost or wander off. The present from Hagrid contained a hand carved flute. Harry blew on it a few times and was instantly reminded of Hedwig's hooting. From Susan, he got a book named _'Contribution of Potters in the Wizarding World'_

From his other friends, he received chocolate frogs, sugar quills and other Honeydukes chocolates. Now there were only two presents left. The one wrapped in an expensive looking package was from Penelope who had gifted him with silver set of Gobstones. There was only one gift remaining. Harry picked it up and felt it. It was very light. He unwrapped it. Something fluid and silvery grey went slithering to the floor, where it lay in gleaming folds.

Harry picked the shining, silvery cloth off the floor. It was strange to touch, like water woven into material. Harry threw the Cloak around his shoulders and felt nothing different. He shrugged it off and moved towards the bathroom. While on his way, he accidentally looked at the mirror and gave a yell in fright. Harry looked down at his feet, but they had gone. Harry looked at the mirror once again not believing his eyes. Sure enough, his reflection looked back at him, just his head suspended in mid-air, his body completely invisible. He pulled the Cloak over his head and his reflection vanished completely.

Then he ran off towards his bed and found a note that was placed there. Written in narrow, loopy writing he had never seen before were the following words:

_This is an Invisibility cloak. _

_Your father left this in my possession before he died. _

_It is time it was returned to you. _

_Use it well._

_A Very Merry Christmas to you. _

There was no signature. Harry stared at the note for a long time. Then a grin broke out on his face. He already knew about this cloak. His father had mentioned it a lot of times in his journal. He had commented how he used it to pull off pranks or wander around the castle after curfew with his friends Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. Now Harry was excited and wanted to take it into use as soon as possible.

He quickly dressed after freshening up and went down to the Great hall. On the way, Harry greeted everyone he met. Even Mr. Filch. He entered the hall and sat on the big round table that was installed during the holidays because of low numbers of inhabitants in the castle. Harry sat with the Weasleys on one side and Professor Flitwick on other.

Up on the High Table, Dumbledore had swapped his pointed wizard's hat for a flowered bonnet and was chuckling merrily at a joke Professor Flitwick had just read him. Harry controlled his laugh when he saw that Snape was still in his normal black robes, but had been forced into wearing a tinsel garland of red and cringed every time he glanced at it.**  
**  
Flaming Christmas puddings followed the turkey. Percy nearly broke his teeth on a silver Sickle embedded in his slice. Harry watched Hagrid getting redder and redder in the face as he called for more wine, finally kissing Professor McGonagall on the cheek, who, to Harry's amazement, giggled and blushed, and her top hat lop-sided. Harry grinned in amusement.**  
**  
When Harry and Weasley Twins finally left the table, they were laden down with a stack of things out of the crackers, including a pack of non-explodable, luminous balloons, a grow your own warts kit and their own new wizard chess set..

Harry and the Weasleys spent a happy afternoon having a furious snowball fight in the grounds.

Then, cold, wet and gasping for breath, they returned to the fire in the Gryffindor common room, where Harry broke in his new Gobstones set by losing spectacularly to Ron. He suspected he wouldn't have lost so badly if Percy hadn't tried to help him so much.

After a tea of turkey sandwiches, crumpets, trifle and Christmas cake, everyone felt too full and sleepy to do much before bed except sit and watch Percy chase Fred and George all over Gryffindor Tower because they'd stolen his prefect badge.

It had been the Harry's best Christmas day ever. Yet something had been nagging at the back of Harry's mind all day. Not until he climbed into bed was he free to think about it: the Invisibility Cloak and whoever had sent it.

Harry leant over the side of his own bed and pulled the Cloak out from under it.  
His father's ... this had been his father's.

He let the material flow over his hands, smoother than silk, light as air. Use it well, the note had said.

He had to try it, now. He slipped out of bed and wrapped the Cloak around himself. Looking down at his legs, he saw only moonlight and shadows. It was a very funny feeling.

Use it well.

Suddenly, Harry felt wide awake. The whole of Hogwarts was open to him in this Cloak. Excitement flooded through him as he stood there in the dark and silence. He could go anywhere in this, anywhere, and Filch would never know.

He crept out of the dormitory, down the stairs, across the common room and climbed through the portrait hole. He walked quickly down the corridor. Where should he go? He stopped, his heart racing, and thought. And then it came to him. The Restricted Section in the library. He'd be able to read as long as he liked, he thought being a Ravenclaw gave you a craving to learn every now and then.

He set off, drawing the Invisibility Cloak tight around him as he walked.  
The library was pitch black and very eerie. Harry lit a lamp to see his way along the rows of books.

The lamp looked as if it was floating in mid-air, and even though Harry could feel his arm supporting it, the sight gave him the creeps.

The Restricted Section was right at the back of the library. Stepping carefully over the rope which separated these books from the rest of the library, he held up his lamp to read the titles.

They didn't tell him much. Their peeling, faded gold letters spelled words in languages Harry couldn't understand. Some had no title at all. One book had a dark stain on it that looked horribly like blood.

The hairs on the back of Harry's neck prickled. Maybe he was imagining it, maybe not, but he thought a faint whispering was coming from the books, as though they knew someone was there who shouldn't be.

He had to start somewhere. Setting the lamp down carefully on the floor, he looked along the bottom shelf for an interesting-looking book.

He found a lot of books that he wanted to read and explored whole Restricted section. He spent around two hours in the Library when he felt a little sleepy. He decided to call it a night and started to move towards the Ravenclaw tower when he saw Snape and Quirrell just standing outside and it looked like Snape was interrogating him. Harry dodged them not wanting to be caught outside in the curfew and entered a classroom.

He noticed few things about the room he had entered which looked like a disused classroom. The dark shapes of desks and chairs were piled against the walls and there was an upturned waste-paper basket - but propped against the wall facing him was something that didn't look as if it belonged there, something that looked as if someone had just put it there to keep it out of the way.

It was a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. There was an inscription carved around the top: _Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi._

His panic fading now that there was no sound of Filch and Snape, Harry moved nearer to the mirror, wanting to look at him but see no reflection again. He stepped in front of it. He had to clap his hands to his mouth to stop himself screaming. He whirled around. His heart was pounding far more furiously than when the book had screamed - for he had seen not only himself in the mirror, but a whole crowd of people standing right behind him.

But the room was empty. Breathing very fast, he turned slowly back to the mirror.  
There he was, reflected in it, white and scared-looking, and there, reflected behind him, were at least ten others. Harry looked over his shoulder - but, still, no one was there. Or were they all invisible, too? Was he in fact in a room full of invisible people and this mirror's trick was that it reflected them, invisible or not?

He looked in the mirror again. A woman standing right behind his reflection was smiling at him and waving. He reached out a hand and felt the air behind him. If she really was there, he'd touch her, their reflections were so close together, but he felt only air - she and the others existed only in the mirror.

She was a very pretty woman. She had dark red hair and her eyes - her eyes are just like mine and Jade's, Harry thought, edging a little closer to the glass. Bright green - exactly the same shape, but then he noticed that she was crying; smiling, but crying at the same time.

The tall, thin, black-haired man standing next to her put his arm around her. He wore glasses, and his hair was very untidy. It stuck up at the back, just like Harry's did.

Harry was now so close to the mirror now that his nose was nearly touching that of his reflection.  
"Mum?" he whispered. "Dad?"

They just looked at him, smiling. And slowly, Harry looked into the faces of the other people in the mirror and saw other pairs of green eyes like his, other noses like his, and even a little old man who looked as though he had Harry's knobbly knees - Harry was looking at his family for the first time in his life.

The Potters smiled and waved at Harry as he stared hungrily back at them, his hands pressed flat against the glass as though he was hoping to fall right through and reach them. He had a powerful kind of ache inside him, half joy, half terrible sadness. How long he stood there, he didn't know. The reflections did not fade and he looked and looked until a distant noise brought him back to his senses. He couldn't stay here; he had to find his way back to bed.

Next two days, Harry visited the room two more times. He found what the inscription meant. It was just the reverse that would make the inscription meaningful.

_I show not your face but your hearts desire_

So it only showed what he wanted the most. Apart from that Harry concentrated his mind on his studies. He wanted to cover the maximum amount of course he could during the holidays.

**28****th**** December, 2000**

Harry once again found himself in the room with the mirror. He knew it was not right but he couldn't resist the temptation of watching his family with him. He had a lot of pictures of his parents, but the mirror provided something he knew could never happen- him with his whole family.

"So - back again, Harry?"

Harry felt as though his insides had turned to ice. He looked behind him. Sitting on one of the desks by the wall was none other than Albus Dumbledore.

He must have walked straight past him, so desperate to get to the mirror he hadn't noticed him.

"I - I didn't see you, sir."

"Strange how short-sighted being invisible can make you," said Dumbledore, and Harry was relieved to see that he was smiling.

"So," said Dumbledore, slipping off the desk to sit on the floor with him, "you, like hundreds before you, have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised."

"I didn't know it was called that, sir."

"But I expect you've realized by now what it does?"

"It - well - it shows me my family -"

"-and for anyone else, their deepest desire." completed Dumbledore.

"How did you know-?" Harry wanted to know.

"I don't need a cloak to become invisible," said Dumbledore gently. "Now, can you think what the Mirror of Erised shows us all?" Harry didn't answer.

"Let me explain. The happiest man on earth would be able to use the Mirror of Erised like a normal mirror, that is; he would look into it and see himself exactly as he is. Does that help?"

Harry thought. Then he said slowly. "It shows us what we want ... whatever we want ..."

"Yes and no," said Dumbledore quietly. "It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts. You, who has never known your family, see them standing around you. However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge nor truth. Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible.

"The mirror will be moved to a new home tomorrow, and I ask you, not to go looking for it again. If you ever do run across it, you will now be prepared. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that.  
Now, why don't you put that admirable Cloak back on and get off to bed?"

Harry stood up.  
"Sir - Professor Dumbledore? Can I ask you something?"

"Of course you may." Dumbledore smiled.

"What do you see when you look in the Mirror?"

"I? I see myself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks."

Harry stared at him and quirked an eyebrow.

"One can never have enough socks," said Dumbledore. "Another Christmas gone and I didn't get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books."

"You were the one who gave me the Invisibility cloak" Harry said as a statement and not a question.

"You are as much intelligent as your teachers say." Dumbledore said with amusement.

"I think I should go to sleep. Goodnight sir." With that Harry moved towards the door. Harry had just reached the door when he heard

"Would you like to visit your parents' grave? I am going to visit the town and thought you might want to accompany me." Dumbledore said seriously while looking at him deep in the eyes.

"I would like that very much, thank you sir." Harry said with gratefulness clearly in his voice.

"Then be ready. We will go there on the New Year's eve." He said and waved him away.

**31****st**** December, 2000**

Harry received a mail from Professor Dumbledore which read

_Harry_

_Come to my office at eleven o'clock. We will start our journey from there. So be ready. My favorite sweet of the month is Sugar Quills. _

_Have a nice day._

_All-day-I-dream-about-socks (ADIDAS)_

Harry chuckled heartily at the muggle joke. Dumbledore sure had a weird sense of humor. He went on with a normal routine which included studying and flying a bit right now. He had some dinner and after that Harry went to his dorm. Finally the time arrived and Harry moved towards the Headmaster's office which was at the seventh corridor.

He used the Marauder's Map to make sure that he didn't encounter any unwanted inhabitant of the castle. He reached the gargoyle which he knew was the entrance to the Headmaster's Office. The gargoyle was extremely large and ugly.

"Sugar Quills" Harry spoke the password and suddenly the gargoyle came to life and sprang apart as the wall behind him split in two. Behind the wall was a spiral staircase which was moving smoothly upwards, like an escalator. Harry was slightly amazed by it as he stepped on it and heard the wall thud closed behind him. He rose upwards higher and higher in circular motion until he finally reached a gleaming oak door ahead, with a brass knocker in the shape of a griffon.

This must be the door to Dumbledore's office, he thought. He rapped at the door politely and heard the voice of Dumbledore

"Come in Harry"

The door silently opened and he entered the office. The office was the best Harry had ever seen. There were portraits of past Headmasters and Headmistresses on the high circular walls of the office all of whom were snoozing gently in their frames. This Harry knew because he had read about them in _Hogwarts: A History._ There were a number of curious silver instruments on spindle legged tables, whirring and emitting little puffs of smoke. On a mantel-piece sat the Sorting Hat. There was an enormous, claw-footed desk and sitting on a high but comfortable looking chair behind t was Professor Dumbledore.

He was looking at Harry amusedly. Harry blushed a little at being caught looking. He murmured an apology which Dumbledore waved off and said

"No need, my boy. This is the most general reaction I get from everyone on their first visit."

Harry once again looked around and found that he had missed a few things that he missed in his first look. There was an old mahogany bookshelf which contained huge and ancient looking books and scrolls. Harry was a bit excited at seeing them. He knew that they must be Headmaster's favorite books and one of the hardest found books. He also saw something that he only imagined till now. There perched proudly on a stand was a _phoenix._ It had red feathers with their tips tinted in gold. Magnificent was the only word that came to his mind at seeing such a beauty. He moved towards the phoenix and offered his hand asking permission to touch the royal looking magical creature.

The phoenix gave a musical trill which was very soothing and felt like an affirmation. Harry smiled and petted the bird and stroked its rich scarlet and golden plume. Phoenix gave a pleasured trill and leaned into him. He hopped off his perch and landed on Harry's shoulder. He heard a chuckle and turned towards Dumbledore and quirked an eye brow.

"Fawkes is not very social. He doesn't give away the permission to somebody to touch him so easily. You are very lucky. It looks like he trusts you. But this is not the first time you have met him. If I remember correctly, he used to watch you a lot when you were a toddler. Infact, the moment you were born, he was present in that ward looking after your mother." Dumbledore said while looking far away.

This was news to him. He looked at Fawkes with much more tenderness. Then he looked at Dumbledore and said

"You were close to my parents?"

"Oh yes. The Dumbledore and Potter family go a long way back in the history as friends. I was a friend of your great grandfather Charles and grandfather Harold. Both were exceptional wizards. I have baby sat both you and your father quite a few times during free time. You were a very sweet child and liked playing with my beard a lot. In fact, both the families have their homes as well as graveyards in the same village – _Godric's Hollow._ That is where we are going today." He answered while chuckling. Harry too smiled at his explanation.

"I noticed that you call everyone else with their surname but me by my first name. now I know why." Harry said.

"You are very observing. As for my defense, it's not easy to call someone by a surname when you have changed his diapers more times than you can count." He said teasing the eleven year old a little. Harry blushed at it.

"I always visit my ancestors on the New Year's eve and thought you might like it too. Fawkes has offered his service in transporting us mere wizards to and from our destination. So, just hold his talons." he said with mirth shining in his eyes while Fawkes puffed his chest in a very haughty manner.

Harry just laughed at the antics of the pair and stood up. He was a bit curious about the way of transport. He had just read a mention of it in the book he had received just few days ago at Christmas. He knew phoenix traveled using fire but didn't fear because he had total faith in Fawkes.

They moved to the middle of the office and touched Fawkes talons. Dumbledore looked down at Harry and asked

"Are you ready?" Harry just nodded. A flash of fire enveloped both of them and Harry reflexively closed his eyes.

When Harry finally opened his eyes, he found himself looking at a road which was a start to what looked like a big village. He could hear the ringing of bells and singing coming from the church situated a bit away from them.

"This is the main road Harry. You may find all the required, everyday goods on both sides of this road. Let's go to the graveyard first. It is at the end of this road." Dumbledore explained.

Both of them started walking on the pavement of the road. The road was deserted at best. Harry couldn't see any stragglers around. And it was justified because it was New Year's Eve and everybody wanted to stay inside their houses and spend the time together with their families. Cottages stood on either side of the road, decorations twinkling in their windows. A short way ahead of them, there was a glow of golden streetlights indicating the center of the village.

They made their way forward unhampered, the icy air stinging their faces as they passed more cottages. Anyone of them might have been the one in which James and Lily had once lived. Harry gazed at the front doors, their snow-burdened roofs, and their front porches, wondering whether he remembered any of them, knowing deep inside that it was impossible, that he had been little more than a year old when he left the place forever. He wasn't even sure whether he would be able to see the cottage at all; he did not know what happened when the subjects of a Fidelius Charm died. Then the little lane along which they were walking curved to the left and the heart of the village, a small square, was revealed to them.

Strung all around with colored lights, there was what looked like a war memorial in the middle, partly obscured by a windblown Christmas tree. There were several shops, a post-office, a pub, and a little church that's stained -glass windows were glowing jewel-bright across the square. The snow here had become impacted: It was hard and slippery where people had trodden on it all day.

"You might want to see this Harry. It was constructed after your win over Voldemort." Dumbledore pointed towards what looked like a war memorial. He was pointing to the war memorial. As they had passed it, it had transformed. Instead of an obelisk covered in names, there was a statue of three people: a man with untidy hair and glasses, a woman with long hair and a kind, pretty face, and a baby boy sitting in his mother's arms. Snow lay upon all the heads, like fluffy white caps.

Harry drew closer, gazing up into his parents' faces. He had never imagined that there would be a statue...How strange it was to see himself represented in stone, a happy baby without a scar on his forehead...

The singing grew louder as they approached the church. There was a kissing gate at the entrance to the graveyard. Dumbledore pushed it open as quietly as possible and they edged through it. On either side of the slippery path to the church doors, the snow laid deep and untouched. They moved off through the snow, carving behind them as they walked around the building, keeping to the shadows beneath the brilliant windows.

Behind the church, row upon row of snowy tombstones protruded from a blanket of pale blue that was flecked with dazzling red, gold, and green wherever the reflections from the stained glass hit the snow. Harry saw few surnames he identified from his school mates.

"This is a village where both the wizarding and muggle population reside. Since it was the birthplace of Godric Gryffindor, it has a great deal of magical history. So a lot of families stayed here at one point or other." Dumbledore said as a way of explanation.

Dumbledore suddenly made a sharp cut and headed towards a particular grave. Harry reached closer and found a few words glittering on it. Upon the frozen, lichen-spotted granite, the words KENDRA DUMBLEDORE and a short way below her dates of birth and death, AND HER DAUGHTER ARIANA. There was also a quotation.

_Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also._

Dumbledore had a sort of heartbroken expression on his face. Harry would never have suspected him of possessing such a feeling. He looked helpless. Harry had always seen him as a calm person with a smile on his face. For the first time Harry saw him as a person.

After a few minutes, Dumbledore came towards him and smiled his usual smile but without his usual twinkling eyes. Every now and then he recognized a surname that, like Abbott, he had met at Hogwarts. Sometimes there were several generations of the same Wizarding family represented in the graveyard. Harry could tell from the dates that it had either died out, or the current members had moved away from Godric's Hollow. Deeper and deeper amongst the graves he went, and every time he reached a new headstone he felt a little lurch of apprehension and anticipation.

The darkness and the silence seemed to become, all of the sudden, much deeper. Harry looked around worried, and then realized that the carols had finished, that the chatter and flurry of the churchgoers were fading away as they made their way back into the square. Somebody inside the church had just turned off the lights.

"And here lies your parents' grave." Said Dumbledore while pointing towards a pair of tombstones. It was making of white marble and this made it easy to read, as it seemed to shine in the dark. Harry did not need to kneel or even approach very close to it to make out the words engraved upon it.

JAMES POTTER LILY POTTER

BORN 27 MARCH 1960 BORN 30 JANUARY 1960  
DIED 31 OCTOBER 1981 DIED 31 OCTOBER 1981

_The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death_

Harry read the words slowly, as though he would have only one chance to take in their meaning.

"The line signifies that there is living even after death. After all, to a well organized mind death is just a great next adventure." Provided Dumbledore and went away to give him sometime alone.

Harry spent around an hour telling them all about his life. He told them about his childhood, every small thing he felt a parent deserves to know. He even told things he never shared with anyone. He mentioned his favorites and told about the wizarding world with excitement lacing his voice. In the end he thanked them for sacrificing their lives so that he could live and promised on their grave to become the best wizard he could. He promised to himself yet again to become a man which they could be proud of.

He didn't know when he started crying but there were tear tracks on his face as a testament of his condition. He wiped them off with the back of his sleeve and stood up. He conjured some lily flowers for his parents' grave and moved towards Dumbledore. When he reached him, something clicked in his mind and he started to panic.

"Oh crap! Professor, I performed magic and that too outside the school. Now they are going to expel me and break my wand. Please do something sir-" Dumbledore interrupted his rambling and said

"No need to panic Harry. The Ministry won't be able to know that you performed the magic because you are in a wizarding village and with an adult wizard. So they cannot pin-point it on you. If, however you had performed it in a muggle area, they would have been able to identify you and then you would have been in trouble."

Harry thought about it a little and then came a dawning comprehension in his eyes. He said

"You mean to say that all the pureblood students will be able to perform magic during holidays while others won't?"

"Yes Harry. But it is not a known fact and therefore only a few families do not abide by the rule. You won't want a learning wizard in your home now would you?" he said with mirth.

"But that is not fair for others." Harry protested.

"Remember one thing Harry, everywhere a politician only makes those laws from which he gets a profit or at least doesn't suffer a loss. Same is in this world with Purebloods. They will never make a law that would jeopardize with their authority." Dumbledore said in a teacher mode.

"But aren't you a head of Wizengamot, the body that makes laws?" asked Harry.

"I am Harry but that doesn't mean I have more votes. I just hold a position of authority and my work is to make sure that order is maintained in the body. I have a single vote just like any other member of it." he reasoned.

Harry pondered at it for a while and understood Dumbledore's position. The old man steered him towards a deeper part of graveyard and said to him while pointing at a tarnished tombstone

"As far as I know, this is the start of the Potter line."

Curiosity piqued, Harry looked at the stone more closely and read a name

"It says Ig-Igno-Ignotus, I think?" he said and looked towards Dumbledore.

Dumbledore nodded and said "Yes, his full name was Ignotus Peverell and he was born even before the founders of Hogwarts. Always know your origin." He said while looking meaningfully at Harry. They stayed a bit more while looking at a grave here and there until finally they decided to depart. They exited the graveyard and were back on the narrow lane. They walked back towards the main area of the village when Dumbledore stopped walking. Harry looked at him questioningly but Dumbledore just shook his head and pointed towards the house in the left.

He could see it; the Fidelius Charm must have died with James and Lily. The hedge had grown wild in the sixteen years since Hagrid had taken Harry from the rubble that lay scattered amongst the waist-high grass. Most of the cottage was still standing, though entirely covered in dark ivy and snow, but the right side of the top floor had been blown apart; that, Harry was sure, was where the curse backfired. He and Dumbledore stood at the gate, gazing up at the wreck of what must once have been a cottage just like those that flanked it.

He slipped a hand and grasped the snowy and thickly rusted gate, not wishing to open it, but simply to hold some part of the house. His touch on the gate seemed to have done it. A sign had risen out of the ground in front of them, up through the tangles of nettles and weeds, like some bizarre, fast-growing flower, and in golden letters upon the wood it said:

**On this spot, on the night of 31 October 1981,  
Lily and James Potter lost their lives.  
Their son, Harry, remains the only wizard  
ever to have survived the Killing Curse.  
This house, invisible to Muggles, has been left  
in its ruined state as a monument to the Potters  
and as a reminder of the violence  
that tore apart their family.**

And all around these neatly lettered words; scribbles had been added by other witches and wizards who had come to see the place where the Boy Who Lived had escaped. Some had merely signed their names in Everlasting Ink; others had carved their initials into the wood, still others had left messages. The most recent of these, shining brightly over sixteen years' worth of magical graffiti, all said similar things.

_Good luck, Harry, wherever you are._

**If you read this, Harry, we're all behind you!**

Long live Harry Potter

Harry felt a bit good that the sacrifice of his parents was appreciated and people had visited the house. He looked at Dumbledore and asked

"Professor, can we enter the house?"

"No, we can't. You will be able to enter it when you turn seventeen." Dumbledore answered apologetically.

Harry nodded expecting something like this. They stayed there a few more minutes in silence. Finally Dumbledore broke the silence and said "And that is mine" while pointing towards a house in the left.

"Would you like to visit there?" Harry asked.

"Some other time. We have already spent a lot of time here Harry. I think we should leave."

Harry just nodded while Dumbledore called Fawkes who seemed to be following them as he came down flying. He landed on Harry's shoulder and looked in his eyes for a few moments and nudged his cheek with his beak. Harry chuckled at his antics. They left the village same way they came. Harry didn't stop anymore at the office. When he reached the door, Dumbledore said

"Happy New Year, Harry"

Harry smiled and replied "You too sir. And thank you very much for today. I will remember this forever."

"It was the least I could do my boy. Now head towards your bed because you look like you can use a lot of sleep."

With that Harry walked towards the Ravenclaw Tower. He didn't find anyone and reached the dorm easily. As soon as his head touched the mattress, he found himself in the world of dreams, exhausted.

TO BE CONTINUED…..


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER – 12**

**PHILOSOPHER'S STONE & FORBIDDEN FOREST**

Christmas Holidays got over and with that came the time for a normal routine in the school. Classes started once again and teachers started to pile homework on the students at a furious pace. Also, Ellwood had started the Quidditch training at an insane pace even when the snow was replaced by rain. So, the huge amount of homework, Quidditch Practice and spending sometime with his friends' left very little time for independent studies.

One more problem that rose for Harry was that he couldn't find a place to practice any advanced magic. He didn't want to be spotted doing some high level magic because he knew that the staring and whispering it would result in would only irritate him later.

One day while their study group was in the library completing their assignments, Harry got up to get a book when he saw Ron, Dean and Seamus browsing few books. Harry felt very suspicious because the three Gryffindors were known to be very careless with their studies and could often be seen fighting with Malfoy Group. Harry walked behind them and heard them talking about a 'three headed dog' and 'Nicholas Flamel'. Harry quickly came back to his seat not wanting anyone to notice him, deep in thought.

It didn't take much time for Harry to start linking the clues. He came to the conclusion that they had somehow found out about the Cerberus on the third floor and according to them it was linked to Nicholas Flamel. Harry remembered the Cerberus sitting on a trapdoor. Also he knew about the robbery that took place in Gringotts and the vault being emptied by Hagrid. Harry knew that Nicholas Flamel was the only known producer of Philosopher's Stone. He also knew that Flamel was close to Dumbledore. The stone provided the two most wanted things a human being desires; immortality and unending wealth.

Harry now understood that the Cerberus was hiding the Philosopher's stone which was earlier in the Gringotts. When Dumbledore felt that it was in danger, he decided to place it in the most safe place on earth; Hogwarts. Harry did a bit more eavesdropping in the next few days on the Gryffindor trio and found out that they suspected Snape of trying to steal the stone. Harry remembered that Snape was injured during Halloween incident but his instincts said that he was innocent and Harry believed it. He decided to trust Dumbledore's safety measures since he knew that nobody would try to steal in his presence.

The Quidditch Practice had gone even more gruesome for them since Ellwood wanted them prepared for Slytherin game. Slytherins were known to be very rough in their play and usually two or more opposite team players had to spend a night in Hospital Wing. So Ellwood wanted them prepared for everything. Harry also knew that his surprise had ended with the first game and the opposite teams would now be prepared for him and won't commit the mistake of underestimating him.

The game between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff had ended with Gryffindor winning even if Diggory succeeded in catching the snitch. Gryffindor had unarguably the best Chaser attack and their only weakness was a bad seeker. After the game, Hufflepuff had completely gone out of the championship.

One day he was pondering on what place he could use to practice advanced magic when he felt a little hungry and decided to head towards kitchen. He reached the portrait of the fruit bowl, absently tickled the pear and was immediately surrounded by eager little house-elves as he entered the kitchens.

"What is you needing, young master Potter?" An older elf that he recognized from previous visits to the kitchens asked of him.

"I just came by to pick up a snack please," he said politely.

At least half a dozen elves came up to him carrying plates filled with sandwiches, cakes of all sorts and other snacks. Harry chuckled and picked up two sandwiches, thanking all the elves politely for their excellent service. The elves blushed at the praise and quickly returned to their previous activities, with only the older elf from before staying behind.

"Can I be doing anything else for you, young master?"

Harry had a sudden inspiration that the elves knew the castle better than anyone since they kept everything clean. He decided to go with his hunch and asked the elf for help.

"Yes, I think you can. I'm currently working ahead of my class schedule but I require a place to practice magic, brew Potions and things like that. Also I want it to be accessible to me only. Do you know of any place like that?" Harry asked hopefully, wondering if there was a storeroom somewhere in the castle that he could use to practice some more.

"Linny knows of where to find such place. That is being the 'Room of Hidden Things' or the 'Come and Go room' as you wizard folk calls it." The little elf, Linny apparently her name was, told him proudly.

"Where is this room?" Harry asked eagerly.

"It is being located on the seventh floor; across the tapestry of a barmy wizard who's trying to teach trolls how to dance." The elf explained.

Harry had spent much of his free time exploring the castle in the beginning of the year using Marauder's Map. He knew of the place where the elf meant that the room should be but couldn't remember a door anywhere near that location.

"I didn't know there was such a room there, is the door hidden or invisible?" He asked confusedly.

"Yes and no, the room is hidden, young master. That is, you need to walk past the wall opposite of the tapestry three times while thinking of the Room of Hidden Things and then the door will appear." Linny explained in detail.

Harry thought that the place was remarkably close to the Headmaster's office and the Gryffindor common room and voiced his concern of being found out. "Who else knows of this?"

"We has seen Headmaster Dumblydoor there once when he required a lavatory and Linny personally has seen Mr. Filch finding extra cleaning supplies in there when he has run short…." Mellon trailed off.

"I see," Harry said, lost in thought.

It wouldn't do to get caught by someone who had prior knowledge of the room, but it sounded like the room had enormous potential and that the Headmaster and the caretaker had just come across it by accident. He reckoned that he could just check it out and decide later whether he would make use of it or not. He thanked the elf and returned to his dorm, already planning to examine the room that night with the help of his father's cloak.

And so Harry came to discover the magnificent Room of Requirement.

That night, he followed the house-elf Linny's instructions and concentrated hard on the Room of Hidden Things while walking past the blank wall three times. Harry had already expected a door to appear so that was no surprise. However the moment he entered the room, his jaw fell open from bewilderment.

The room was huge! Rows and rows filled with items such as trunks packed with school stuff, some of which seemed century's old, cabinets full of knickknacks, chairs, desks and stacks of books, notes and other scrolls. And that was just his first observation of the room, or so Harry realized as he thought of what else could be hidden in those trunks, between the ordinary things. He could probably spend all of the seven Hogwarts years searching through this room and still not finish by the time he graduated!

Harry spent the entire night exploring the limitations of the room, going in and out while thinking of different things. A training room resulted in a fully furnished dueling ring with weapons lining the walls and even several dummies to the side. A library resulted in a copy of the Hogwarts library, with a smaller amount of books on every subject but several more obscure ones that have probably been outlawed since the time of the founders of Hogwarts. A cozy living room with a long leather couch and two squashy armchairs in front of a fireplace with a king-sized bed in the background put a blush on Harry's cheeks but he quickly dismissed that thought.

The Come and Go Room contained an immense amount of information and wealth and if he wanted to use that for himself then the entire room should remain a secret. He poked around the room a bit and found out that he could not take anything outside the room and the books were limited to everything Hogwarts library ever had since the time of founders and also anything anyone ever hid in the room.

From then on Harry started spending as much time he could in the room while practicing magic or brewing potions. He had started with the third year course and wanted to complete it before the end of Easter holidays.

On the day of match, Harry took light breakfast while his female friends kept fussing on him as they feared that he would get injured since Slytherins were known to play brutal. Harry headed towards the Locker room along with his teammates amidst the encouraging comments from their housemates. They geared up for the match and stood in the main room waiting for the pep talk from their captain.

"I am totally confident in my team and its might. Our opposition is always known to play brutal. Till now they have faced their opposing team who tended to play defensive. Today they are going to get a shock. We are going to defeat them in their own game. If they want to spill blood, then that is exactly what will happen, but the blood and pain will be theirs. Take out all the anger, pent-up frustration you have and use it to blow away their arse off their brooms." Ellwood spoke. Everyone yelled in agreement.

"Athena and Roger, you have played really well and our coordination is really good. Keep your eyes on Quaffle and make sure it stays in their half all the time. You don't need to worry about bludgers since Patrick and Alex will fend them off. Max, just concentrate on saving our goals and remember to look out for bludgers. Beaters, aim every hit to make them fall off the broom. Don't spare them because they won't offer the same to us. Concentrate on defending our chasers and keeper because our seeker will fend them off." He said this all while looking at every one in the eye. Then he turned his eye towards Harry and said

"Harry, this is going to be tough for you. I know that but I also know that you are capable of doing it. I want you at your best today. Their Seeker is worthless and he is only going to follow you. So you do not need to worry about him. Your main work is to interfere in their moves and assist our chasers. Also you don't have anyone looking out for you against Bludgers, so you have to save yourself. I think this game will be a long one, so try to catch the Snitch as soon as you can but assist us too."

Harry just nodded, having discussed this before. This was going to be a real test for him. But he liked all the excitement that came with the game.

"We are much better than them. So are you ready to prove it?" Ellwood asked everyone.

All of them nodded. Ellwood wasn't satisfied and shouted "ARE YOU READY?"

"YES" "HELL WE ARE!" everyone shouted at the top of their lungs. With that they entered the field.

The whole stadium was painted blue and green. Slytherin was getting full support from their house while Ravenclaw was getting support from other three houses. So their support was almost overwhelming for Harry.

Madam Hooch was referring the game once again and was standing in the middle of the pitch.

"Captains shake hands." Slytherin captain Flint looked like he wanted to crush Ellwood's hand but Ellwood was much stronger and returned the favor which resulted in Flint giving a yelp. Hooch ignored it though Harry saw a hint of smile on her face.

"Now I want a fair game from all of you." She said this while particularly eyeing the Slytherin team. They didn't seem to notice her and were openly glaring at Ravenclaws.

The game started with a blast from Hooch. From the start it could easily be said that Ravenclaw had a better team in terms of talent but Slytherin was using their brute force to overcome that. Ravenclaw chasers were on attack from the first second resulting in an approving roar from the crowd. They were heading towards the Slytherin goal while beaters were raining bludgers on them. Patrick and Alex were able to divert them away from their teammates efficiently.

The score had gone up to 40-10 for Ravenclaws. Harry was watching all this from above while looking out for the snitch. Higgs, the Slytherin seeker was just following Harry all around, just as Ellwood predicted. The game continued like this for next forty minutes. Now the score had risen up to 120-90 in favor of Ravenclaw. Harry had not interfered till now. Instead he was looking out for Snitch. He wanted to end the game before anyone from his team got injured. There were some close calls but thankfully, his teammates had avoided them till now.

But the thing that was worrying him was that Alex looked exhausted with all the hard work he was doing. His movements had become sloppy and rusty. On the other hand the Slytherin Beaters looked like they could go like that for lot longer. Taking advantage of this fact, a bludger from them was able to bypass Alex and hit Roger in the gut who hadn't seen it. He fell off his broom and hit the ground with a crunching noise.

Harry went down and found that Roger had broken his two ribs and won't be able to play anymore. This created a problem for their team since it caused them to lose a chaser. Also one of their beaters was very tired. The game started once again and Harry decided to enter the game. He made sure that Higgs was still following and started a trail of feints after feints and finally led him towards the ground all the while appearing like he had seen the snitch. Even the spectators felt like that. Just before he reached the ground, he moved a sharp turn and looked back to find that Higgs was in the ground out cold.

This was matched by a roar of approval from the three houses. Higgs was out of the game for long time. This helped Harry because now he didn't have to worry about the snitch anymore. From then on he started assisting the chasers. Slytherin Beaters started concentrating on Harry, which is what he wanted, since it gave clear shots to Athena and Ellwood. They scored at a furious pace and now the score was 180-100 in favor of Ravenclaw. Everybody was sporting bruises and looked a bit exhausted.

Everything was going in favor of Ravenclaw when something unprecedented happened which was a big blow for them. Max, their keeper was hit by an unintended bludger which resulted him in falling off of broom. Simply put, he was out of the game, which meant Ravenclaw goal was open to all and to quote Jordan "THEY ARE SCREWED". To add to this Higgs had come back to the pitch and was frantically looking for the snitch.

Suddenly the game was leaning heavily towards Slytherin. All five Ravenclaws were trying to save the deserted goal and were at total defensive. This is when Ellwood called for a time-out.

"We are in a very critical position. They have got assistance of both their beaters who are attacking quite viciously. Our keeper and one chaser are down. Now I, Athena and beaters are going to save our goal. I know this will result in us losing in the end but that is the only option we have left. Our only way of winning is if Harry catches the Snitch and that too early. So it's all upto you Harry." He said.

Teammates just nodded and once again mounted off their brooms. Now Harry was only concentrating on catching the snitch and avoiding the bludgers. The next twenty minutes were like hell for Ravenclaw. Alex finally got rammed by Flint and was out of the game too. Athena, Ellwood and Patrick were doing all they could but it was not enough. The score had gone rising to 310-180 for Slytherin.

That is when Harry saw the snitch at the opposite end of the Quidditch pitch but there were three problems. First, Higgs had seen it too. Second, Jordan announced this on the microphone so everyone knew that. Thirdly, every single Slytherin player was in between Harry and Snitch.

Harry put a sudden burst of speed and steered his broom towards the snitch. He knew that it was close to impossible for him to reach it since the Slytherin players were already heading towards him looking like they will crash with him. But Harry had a plan in his mind which was the most brutal plan any one could think of. A Slytherin chaser was heading towards him with full speed. Just before Harry reached him, he rose a little higher that caused his foot to collide with Slytherin chasers face. Without looking behind, Harry knew that he was out cold. Harry felt a sharp twinge of pain and knew that he had broken his foot.

He was now surrounded by a chaser and beater of the Snake house. Harry smiled a little knowing this one would be easy. Harry started flying close to the chaser and when the beater hit the bludger with all his might, Harry just got out of the way which caused the chaser to be hit by the bludger in the gut. This caused the Beater to be shocked for a while which was the only thing that Patrick needed and he hit the bludger towards his Slytherin counter part. Slytherin beater was out too.

'Three down, three to go' Harry thought. The other Slytherin beater was heading towards him with his bat waving madly all around. Harry dodged him easily and did so while making sure his uninjured foot touched the Slytherins broom. This caused the beater to lose his balance and fall down. Now the only people who were between him and Snitch were Flint and the Keeper in Green. The keeper had left the position too and was heading towards him, looking like he wanted to ram him, but got cut short because he was hit by an accurate bludger by Patrick. It looked like Patrick was taking out his anger on them.

For Harry, only one left was Slytherin captain but Harry didn't need to worry about him any longer because Ellwood had crashed into Flint willingly to give Harry a clear path. No one would ever doubt Ellwood because he was an excellent captain and his passion for Quidditch was unmatched which was proved right now.

All this took place in the frame of ten seconds. While Harry was fighting off whole Slytherin team, Athena had scored three more goals. But more worrisome was that Higgs was ahead of Harry and only fifty feet away from Snitch. Harry put his broom to the maximum speed and started reducing the distance between him and Higgs. Snitch too was in motion and had started moving in downward direction.

Harry was now very close to Higgs and both of them were heading towards the ground at maximum speed. Snitch was only ten feet away from them and five feet away from ground. Neither seeker took any notice of it. Harry got advantage of better broom and got his hand on the snitch before Higgs and turned all around to prevent himself from crashing into ground. He very skillfully avoided the crash but Higgs was not that lucky and got rammed into the ground the second time that day while his broom got broken into three pieces.

"HARRY POTTER HAS ONCE AGAIN SUCCEEDED IN CATCHING THE SNITCH. WHAT AN AWESOME-FUCKING-CATCH. RAVENCLAW WINS 360-310."

This announcement by Jordan seemed to bring everyone out of their shocked state and what followed was a huge applause from the three houses. Harry showed the snitch to everyone and did a victory loop along with Athena and Patrick, the only teammates left in the air. They all mounted off their brooms and hugged Ellwood who was still dazed by his fall while Flint was moaning a bit away from them. Students of the three houses; Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were running towards them screaming in happiness.

This was by far the most brutal game in the history of Hogwarts Quidditch. All seven players of Slytherin were out cold in the last twenty seconds of the game while three players of Ravenclaw lost their consciousness. Ellwood looked on the verge of fainting. Before the crowd could touch them, the players were surrounded by the teachers who looked worried.

In the end all fourteen players had to spend at least a night in the Hospital Wing while listening to the tirade of Madam Pomfrey against Quidditch and their rashness and foolishness all along. All the head of the houses also warned them for their actions. But in the end, Flitwick personally congratulated them for their astounding win.

Next day Harry was able to get out of the Hospital wing and went to the Great hall for breakfast. As soon as he entered, every single eye in the hall was on him and it was followed by a lot of clapping, table-banging and screaming. Harry blushed at all the praise and quietly sat down at his place on the Ravenclaw table. All his friends patted him on the back and congratulated him on his performance and victory. Then he saw Terry smirking at him and pointing behind him.

He turned around and blanched with horror, as he saw Hermione, Padma and other females of his study group heading towards him with a blank expression; he gulped a bit at the sight but was surprised when all of them hugged him one by one. That was the only good thing that he was going to get because what followed was an extraordinary amount of lashing down and screaming. They all continued with their tirade and said what they wanted to while Harry was hiding behind others trying to hide away from their wrath.

At last, the most embarrassing moments of Harry's life ended and a few people including Headmaster tried to laugh but were silenced by their glares. Oddly enough all the female including teachers looked satisfied with it. If that was not enough, Harry got a private lashing from Daphne and Susan too. After all this Harry decided that he would try to control his _'Dad's genes' _because if he didn't, he would die a very painful death and that too by vicious, beautiful witches. That night they had a huge party in the Ravenclaw common room in honor of the Quidditch team. They had a lot of fun and slept late in the night.

Next day Harry received a letter from Hagrid asking to visit him. Harry felt a little guilty and decided to head over to Hagrid's hut after his classes. In the evening, he headed to Hagrid's home and knocked on the door. He could already hear Fang barking and Hagrid trying to control him. Hagrid opened the door and his face broke into a grin at seeing him. He invited Harry in though he was looking a bit nervous. Harry ignored it and entered to find two cups of tea and a plate laden with rock cakes waiting for them.

"So, how are yeh 'fter the injuries? That was the most brutal and fantastic match I've ever seen." Hagrid said.

"I am alright now Hagrid. It took Madam Pomfrey only a few spell to treat me but you know how she is. I had to spend one night there" Harry said exasperatingly. Hagrid laughed with him.

"Yeah I remember. She sure is very protective."

They talked about the on goings of the castle for a little while when Harry felt that Hagrid was fidgeting a bit.

"Is there something you would like tell me?" he asked.

"um.. Yeah. Well, yeh see I always wanted to have a dragon and a few days ago I met a person and won an egg of dragon. The problem is I don't know how the take care of him. Since yeh are so brilliant, I thought yeh could help meh." He said in a rush.

Harry took some time to understand him but when he did; he had his mouth open like a fish. Then a learning gleam entered his eyes and he asked excitedly

"Where is it Hagrid? I want to see it."

"I knew yeh would show as much enthusiasm as me. Come here!" Hagrid replied with a grin pointing towards the back of the hut.

Glancing in the direction of the fire, Harry smiled at the sight of the large black egg in the centre of the blaze. It couldn't be anything other then a dragon's egg.

"Well, I'll research about it as much as I can Hagrid. I'll return in two days." Said Harry already filtering his mind about any books that could help him out.

Next two days Harry dedicated on learning all he could about Dragons from the books available in the Library and Room of Requirements. He informed Hagrid that it was a female and of the breed Norwegian Ridgeback. It came out of the egg after two more days of constant heating. It wasn't exactly as elegant as Harry had expected from some of the fantasy books he'd read at primary school; it looked more like a crumpled, black umbrella than an elegant master of the skies. Its spiny wings were huge compared to its skinny jet body; it had a long snout with wide nostrils, the stubs of horns and bulging, orange eyes.

Harry assisted Hagrid in taking care of Norbert as much as he could, but even he knew that they could not keep her here much longer. Norbert was growing at an amazing pace and her range of fire was growing day by day. Both of them decide that they would approach Weasley twins since their elder brother Charlie was working in a Dragon Reserve.

The Twins were very enthusiastic about the thought of smuggling an illegal dragon out of the castle without anyone knowing but unfortunately landed themselves in a detention with Snape. So, Harry had to team up with Ronald of all people in transferring the dragon. Everything went perfectly and they were actually able to smuggle Norbert out safely. But on the way back to castle, they got caught by McGonagall who was informed by Malfoy.

In all his foolishness, Ron had left the letter from Charlie in a book which Malfoy got a hold of and obviously decided to take advantage of it. Longbottom also was out because he wanted to alert them of Malfoy. In the end all of them were given detention with Hagrid. Harry had not received a single detention till now and decided that he would enjoy the first experience to its fullest since according to his father's journal, Hagrid gave most interesting detention out of every teacher.

And so Harry was waiting in the Entrance Hall that evening, still curious about the nature of his detention. Hagrid was supposed to collect him there; thus Harry was quite surprised when the caretaker, Argus Filch, came up to him from the stairwell. He was leading a trio of students that were following behind him.

"What do you think they are going to make us do, Potter?" asked Draco cordially.

"I don't know, but it should be interesting." He said while smirking along with Malfoy.

Filch ordered them to follow him and led them outside towards Hagrid's hut, while trying to scare them along the way.

"I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?" he said, leering at them. "Oh yes…hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me…It's just a pity they let the old punishments die out…hang you by your wrists from the ceiling for a few days, I've got the chains still in my office, keep 'em well oiled in case they're ever needed…Right, off we go, and don't think of running off, now, it'll be worse for you if you do."

Harry found it amusing to see the squib working so hard at making them feel anxious. Other three students though looked every bit terrified every passing comment. Harry rolled his eyes at them and continued behind Filch.

"Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want to get started." Came Hagrid's voice.

Draco stopped dead in his tracks when he heard where they were heading for their detention. Even the other two seemed to be frightened by the idea which made Harry feel a bit disgusted because of their cowardice.

"T-The f-f-forest?" Neville stammered out.

Hagrid intervened before Filch could rant more about what kind of dangers lay ahead of them in the Forbidden Forest.

"So, are yeh all up fo' a midnigh' stroll in the woods? We got sum importan' issue to take care of tonight, boys. All right there Harry?" The enormous man asked them when he noticed Harry standing off to the side.

"You should stay away from these terrors Harry. You are a good lad, I know that. Follow Hagrid and you'll be safe."

With that Filch went back to the castle, grumbling about students who should be punished while Hagrid led them away from his hut and towards the Forbidden Forest.

"Right then," said Hagrid, "now, listen carefully, 'cause it's dangerous what we're gonna do tonight, an' I don' want no one takin' risks. Follow me over here a moment."

He led them to the very edge of the forest. Holding his lamp up high, he pointed down a narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into the thick black trees. A light breeze lifted their hair as they looked into the forest.

"Look there," said Hagrid, "see that stuff shinin' on the ground? Silvery stuff? That's unicorn blood. There's a unicorn in there bin hurt badly by summat. This is the second time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday. We're gonna try an' find the poor thing. We might have ter put it out of its misery."

Harry was disgusted by the idea of a unicorn getting hurt and having to put it out of its misery. The light creatures were considered sacred in the magical world, and he couldn't think of any other creature that would ever hurt such a thing. Hagrid split them up into two groups, so that they could cover more ground and follow the different trails. He warned them to send sparks in the air if they found anything and Harry went with Draco while the half-giant took the two Gryffindors that looked ready to piss in their robes.

Harry took the lead, following the trail on the left deeper into the black and silent forest while Hagrid led Ron and Neville along the trail going right. Draco was walking no more than two feet behind him and Harry noticed that he was shaking slightly from fear. They stayed silent all the way.

He was sure that he heard something moving about fifty feet ahead of him. When he walked slightly sideways and slowly towards the origin of the sound he noticed a white horse-like creature, lying on its side partly hidden behind a tree but still neighing softly.

"It's the unicorn." Draco shouted from the rear side of him which made Harry want to curse him into oblivion.

At the same time Harry saw a figure in black hood rising from behind the unicorn. As soon as Malfoy saw him, he stumbled and ran back. Harry felt the anger at the figure for injuring such a pure creature and decided to attack with all his might. Before the figure could understand what was happening Harry started raining transfigured stones with pointed ends and charmed them to follow the figure.

The hooded figure was caught in surprise and couldn't defend himself from the surprise and looked very injured by it. It looked a bit weak to Harry but Harry paid it no mind and continued to rain the pranking spells he learned that caused even a small amount of pain. Figure decided to give up and retreated away from the place not wanting to sustain anymore injuries. Harry made sure that the figure was gone and then cautiously approached the injured unicorn.

The unicorn whined faintly, probably afraid of wizards even before the event so only all the more now, but it couldn't move anyway because of its injuries. Harry kneeled next to it and reassuringly patted its mane. He took out his wand and tried a spell he had seen Madam Pomfrey use. "_Episkey"._ It wasn't enough but it had at least stopped the flow of blood. The wound was still very much raw and would result in the death of the majestic creature if something was not done soon.

The unicorn was looking directly into his eyes and Harry couldn't help but feel serene. It seemed that the female had already resigned herself to her fate. Harry was not ready to give up though and took some calming breaths and thought about his options. Then suddenly the image of Fawkes came to his mind and before he knew it, he started calling for Fawkes in the darkness of the night. The Phoenix appeared in the flash of fire. He settled himself on Harry's shoulder while looking at the injured unicorn.

"Fawkes, someone evil attacked this innocent and pure creature. I was wondering if you could help her." Harry asked with baited breath.

Fawkes let an approving trill and leaned towards the unicorn and let out a few tears. Harry knew that phoenix tears could heal even the most fatal wound in a few moments. As he thought, the skin around the wound started mending itself and in a few more minutes it was completely healed.

All of a sudden, the magnificent creature stood up and slowly approached Harry. She pushed her head against his hand and Harry obligingly and disbelievingly patted the head and mane of the unicorn. He knew that adult unicorns were timid of males and only faintly trusting of females so the chance of this happening was miraculous to say the least.

"I am honored at your trust in me, my lady. Thank you." Harry said respectfully.

"Will you be able to reach your herd?" he asked.

The unicorn once again nudged her head against his side as an affectionate gesture before turning away from him. She paused in front of him and shook her tail which made a few hairs fall down before moving off, deeper into the forest and presumably back towards its herd.

Harry reverently picked up the hairs and his empty potion vials while he kept smiling excitedly; he saved a unicorn today…..

He then looked at Fawkes and thanked her too. He looked a bit exhausted so Harry picked him up carefully. He turned around to find himself staring at a centaur. He was standing there with his half horse, half man body. Harry quickly pointed his wand and said

"What are your intentions, oh noble Centaur?" he asked suspiciously while being respectful.

"My name is Firenze. I was making sure that the evil spirit was completely out of the forest. You did a great deed today Harry Potter. The stars showed that the unicorn was going to die today. Your actions were unpredictable." The centaur replied.

"I try my best. Do you know the identity of that evil spirit? I can't imagine something being stupid enough to consume the sacred blood of a unicorn. From the moment it touches your lips, you would lead a half-life, a cursed life. Who would do such a thing? To hurt something so pure, so extraordinarily good, it just seems too unreal to me for it to have actually happened." Harry said incredulously.

"Can you think of no-one? Do you know what is hidden at the school this very moment?" The centaur asked in return.

"The Philosopher's Stone? Was that figure, the one after the stone? But who is that much desperate enough?" he asked.

"It is the same one who everyone believes dead except a few. You try to stay on alert Harry Potter. You are in most danger." Firenze said this while looking at Harry's scar.

Harry quickly understood what Firenze was trying to say. Voldemort was very much near him and looking for the Philosopher's Stone. Harry felt a bit relieved that Dumbledore was there because Voldemort won't attempt anything in his presence.

Hagrid found them a few minutes later and took Fawkes from him while Harry told him about the unicorn. He skipped the Voldemort part but Hagrid was already fussing over him. They quickly headed towards the castle while Harry thanked Firenze for his assistance and explanation. That night Harry slept with dreams revolving around Voldemort and his Parents' death.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: **Hello everyone! I apologize to all those who read my story. Last year has been a messy one for me and I wasn't in any state of mind to write any chapter. I hope that you will continue to read the story and give proper reviews. As always, any suggestions are welcome. I will try to update chapters once a month. Enjoy the story!

**CHAPTER 13**

**FLAMELS, FAMILY AND FRIENDS **

After the incident in the forbidden forest and knowing that Voldemort was somewhere near achieving immortality, Harry was not able to concentrate on studies properly. His friends too noticed his unfocused behavior but blamed it on his constant studying. After a lot of thinking, Harry decided that the most correct thing he could do was to inform the Flamels about the dangers the danger that the presence of stone was posing to the students in the castle.

_Respected Mr. Flamel_

_You may not know me but my name is Harry Potter and I am a first year Ravenclaw. Due to my admittedly curious nature, I have come to find out about the presence of your legendary Sorcerer's Stone in the Hogwarts Castle. It seems that its presence has attracted the attention of a certain Dark Lord Voldemort who has reached the Forbidden Forest in his quest. We all know the ramifications of him getting his hands on the stone. It would mean total destruction of the world as we know it. So it is my sincere request that you please devise a new and much more foolproof way of safeguarding your astonishing invention and to remove it as fast as you can from the castle._

_Hoping for your prompt action!_

_Harry Potter_

Harry felt satisfied with his letter and sent it to Nicolas Flamel through Hedwig the same day. Now he felt much more relaxed and decided that he once again should concentrate on his studies. So the next few weeks went by in a haze of completing homework and keeping up with the increasing course load. Just in few days, it was time for the Easter Holidays. Quite a few students were staying in the castle since exams were coming nearer. In the week before the starting of holidays, Harry got a surprise when Susan and approached him after one Potion class and asked if she and her friend Hannah Abbott could join the study group of the first year Ravenclaws and Hermione. The same thing happened when Daphne asked him after Herbology class whether she and her friends Tracey Davies and Blaise Zabini could join them in the library for studies. Harry told them that he would discuss it with all the members of the group and tell them what they have decided.

In the next sitting of the group, Harry raised this issue. Nobody had problems with the induction of the two Hufflepuffs, while everyone seemed vary of Slytherin to which Harry reminded that none of those three particular Slytherins were ever seen acting rudely to others. Hermione also informed that a Gryffindor named Neville Longbottom was interested in joining the group and needed their help in studies since he had some low self esteem issues. In the end it was decided that there was no problem in inducting all these students.

From next day onwards, all the new members started attending these sessions. In the beginning, it was a bit awkward with the Slytherins but slowly, they all started opening to each other and got comfortable with everyone's presence. Neville was an extremely shy kid with a lack of self-confidence but he was a genius in Herbology. So everyone helped him out a bit to make sure he wasn't left behind.

Harry was quite happy with the way the group was going on and felt proud that members of all four houses were able to study and help each other. The study group met after classes during school days for two hours while during holidays they met for three hours in the afternoon. Rest of the time Harry either spent with his Quidditch team practicing for his last game of the year against Gryffindor or doing his private studies in the Room of Requirements.

Today was the last day of Easter Holidays. From tomorrow, classes were going to resume as usual. Harry was able to complete course till third year in the subjects of Transfiguration, Charms and Potions. He felt satisfied and proud of his accomplishment. He decided that he had done enough of his private studies for the year and should now focus on revising for end-of-the-term exam. Finally being tired, he went to sleep. He was dreaming of winning Quidditch cup for his house when suddenly the Quidditch Pitch was replaced by a cozy room and he found himself sitting on a comfy couch. Sitting opposite to him was a couple who looked to be in their fifties. The man had French looks, with grey eyes and ash brown hair. The woman on the other hand looked distinctly Italian with black hair and light blue eyes. Both sat elegantly and comfortably on the couch and were looking straight at him.

The man leaned forward and said "Hello Harry Potter! My name is Nicolas Flamel and this lovely lady sitting beside me is my soul-mate Perenelle Flamel."

Harry was frozen on his seat staring wide-eyed at the legendary couple sitting in front of him. He couldn't believe that he was speaking face-to-face to the oldest couple of the world. He sat wide-eyed for a few moments while the Flamels watched amusedly as he got his brain to start working again. He finally shook his head and said

"Hello sir, ma'am! I am sorry. It was quite shocking to find myself sitting in front of the most legendary couple when just a few minutes before I was winning Quidditch cup for my house. Can you please explain how you are in my dreams?"

Nicolas nodded understandingly and answered "Don't worry child. We understand and apologize for this unsanctioned visit. We just wanted to talk to you face-to-face after we received your letter. As for how, well we are using a foreign branch of magic which relates to Astral Projection. This type of magic is an almost extinct art nowadays but if you are as old as us, you tend to pick up things like this."

Harry asked a bit disappointedly "So is it not taught at Hogwarts?"

Nicolas replied "I'm afraid that not even Dumbledore can perform it. It is not something common. Only a few know of its existence. Now, we have two motives of visiting you. Let's get to that shall we?"

Harry nodded. Nicolas continued with only a lick of accent "The first one is that I wanted to answer your letter personally. I understand your worries completely and actually appreciate that you did not go after it because the stone offers two things a human wants the most; immortality and money. You were worried about the future of the world and that is rare in today's selfish world. So I felt that I needed to personally diminish your worries. To put it simply, the stone kept at Hogwarts is not real; it is just a replica which turns any metal it touches into Leprechaun gold. So there is no need to panic because even if Voldemort reaches it, it won't be of any assistance to him."

Harry felt a bit relieved and also stupid that he underestimated their wisdom.

"I am very sorry I doubted you and Professor Dumbledore. I should have understood that you would never compromise with the safety of such a dangerous artifact."

Nicolas smile and said "No need to be sorry Harry. Actually Albus himself doesn't know about the switch in the stones. He still thinks that the one in Hogwarts is real. So please mind that you don't mention this to anyone. Consider it as our own secret."

Harry smiled and then said "Alright, if this was the first motive then what the second was?"

For the first time Perenelle spoke "I wanted to see the son of Lily with my own eyes. You see, Lily was my apprentice. She completed her mastery in Charms under me and was on the verge of completing her mastery in Potions. I loved her like the daughter I never had. You have a lot of Lily in you."

Harry was shocked to hear this piece of information. He also felt bad that he himself didn't know about the accomplishments of his own parents. Then and there he vowed to find out as much as he could about his family in the magical world. He felt a bit downhearted and said

"I didn't know that. Thanks for telling. I feel quite sad that I myself don't know that much about my parents."

"No worries Harry. You were in muggle world for last ten years, so it is understandable that you lack certain amount of knowledge that you should have known. Don't look shocked Harry. Whenever we met Albus, we enquired about your health. We opposed his decision of leaving you with your aunt but at that time he felt that your protection was the biggest priority." Perenelle replied understandingly.

Harry went deep in thought and then asked "Can you please tell me about my family? I'm feeling quite burdened right now with all the responsibilities on me all of a sudden."

Perenelle replied kindly "No worries Harry. Let me give you a summary about your family. Your mother's side is totally muggle as far as I know. Your father said is totally magical. You are the last living Potter. Due to your grandmother being a Black, they could be considered your closest relatives. Out of them only Narcissa and Andromeda could be of any consideration for you since all others are either dead or in Azkaban or missing. As for the allies, history shows that Potter family has always been very close to three families; the Longbottoms, the Bones and the McKinnons. Unfortunately, all these families just like yours have dealt the brunt of last two Dark Lords; Voldemort and Grindelwald. The McKinnons have perished and there is no one to continue there name. The Longbottoms and Bones families have also lost a great deal. The apparent heirs of both families are orphans and are taken care of by their guardians Madame Augusta Longbottom and Madame Amelia Bones. You should try and portray a united front with them because if you stand alone, you would all be easy picking for the other families."

Harry was shocked to know that even his allies had suffered so much loss. For the first time he understood that he was not the only one who had suffered because of Voldemort. He decided that he would try to make sure that his family name along with his allies will rise to the top once again. For doing this he needed to at least coordinate with those he could trust. He thanked Mrs. Flamel for imparting her wisdom and promised to take concrete steps in the direction of strengthening his family. Next few hours were spent learning more about his family and parents. Harry was surprised to know that his father had also gained mastery in the field of Transfiguration and was a Hit wizard for the ministry while his mother worked in the Department of Mysteries as a researcher in the field of Charms. In the end it was time for the Flamels to depart. They wished Harry best of luck for his future endeavors and told him that the doors of their home were always open for him. Harry too told them how grateful he was for their help and promised to stay in contact.

Next day Harry woke up a bit tired but much more determined. He decided to draft a letter to those that could be considered family. The Flamels had advised him to stay away from prejudice because he could not afford to have any more enemies. He wrote a letter to the Black sisters separately.

_Dear Narcissa/Andromeda_

_My name is Harry Potter and I am currently a first year Ravenclaw. I have been recently re-introduced to the Wizarding world after staying for ten years with the muggles. I researched a bit about my family and found out that through my grandmother Dorea Black, we are cousins. So, I wanted to establish healthy relations with you. Therefore I thought that maybe we could converse through letters which may lead us to establish good relations among us. After all, family always comes first. _

_Hoping for an enlightening future!_

_Your cousin_

_Harry Potter_

As the Easter holidays ended, classes resumed and Professors started piling on homework on the students at a rapid pace causing the occupants of the castle to once again involve themselves with studies. Harry started to study properly for the end-of-the-term exams. The study-group started to meet for longer periods. Harry started to practice non-verbal magic inn classes since he already knew the matter being taught in the classes of Transfiguration and Charms. He made sure that no one was noticing him.

The fifth year and seventh year students were studying the most since they were preparing for their OWLs and NEWTs. Harry was worried for Penelope since she seemed not to be sleeping properly. The presence of dark spots below her eyes was the proof of her ignoring her sleep. Harry never stopped her from studying but made sure that she got snacks and food since she had started to miss the daily meals in the Great Hall. He also sent her to bed, sometimes even forcing her since she was so stubborn. She often joked that he had started to behave like a mother hen to which Harry just smiled cheekily. While doing this, he took out some time to send letters to the matriarch of Longbottom and Bones family.

_Respected Lady Longbottom/Bones_

_My name is Harry Potter and I am currently a first year Ravenclaw. I have been recently re-introduced to the Wizarding world after staying for ten years with the muggles. I researched a bit about my family and found out that my family has shared a great history of gains and losses with yours and we have always stood by each others' side in the time of need. I offer my condolences for the loss that you suffered in the wars and stress the point that we need to be together when we admittedly are at our weakest state in the history. I am hoping that you would share my opinion and agree with my point of views since I don't want anyone else to be able to use us. Our families have always stood for the good of the Wizarding world and our companionship will only lead to a golden future._

_Hoping for your positive reply!_

_Yours Sincerely_

_Harry Potter_

_Heir Apparent to the House of Potter _

Harry felt satisfied with his letters and sent them through Hedwig who looked quite happy with the exercise she was surely going to get. He hoped that his efforts would lead to a better future for him and the Potter name.

So the next few days went in frenzy and finally the exams started. It was sweltering hot, especially in the large classroom where they did their written papers. They had been given special, new quills for the exams, which had been bewitched with an Anti-Cheating spell. They had practical exams as well. Professor Flitwick called them one by one into his class to see if they could make a pineapple tap-dance across a desk. Harry was able to perform the spell without difficulty. The shock came when he performed it non-verbally. Professor Flitwick fainted on the spot after staring at him with his mouth hanging open. When he was awoken, he asked him to perform the other spells that way. Harry performed the first year spells non-verbally and spells till third year verbally. Similarly, Professor McGonagall watched them turn a mouse into a snuffbox; points were given for how pretty the snuffbox was, but taken away if it had whiskers. Harry once again did the spell perfectly and non-verbally making her stare at him with her mouth wide open. She took some deep breaths and asked him too perform any more spells he could non-verbally. He performed all the first year spells non-verbally and spells till third year verbally. Snape made them all nervous, breathing down their necks while they tried to remember how to make a Forgetfulness potion. Harry did the best he could and made the perfect potion with a lot of time to spare. The last exam was of History of Magic which he went through easily since he had read through all the notes taken by his Dictating Quill.

Next day in the morning the whole school received shocking news. Professor Quirrell was killed. It was found that he was trying to steal the artifact kept on the third floor. The three Gryffindors; Ron Weasley, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan were found trying to stop Quirrell and would have died had Dumbledore not reached at the last moment. The fight between Dumbledore and Quirrell resulted in Quirrell's death. Everyone was shocked that the act of stuttering fool was just a mask to make sure that nobody suspected him. The Gryffindor were one hundred fifty points less due to the trio. This made sure that they were not even in the race for House Cup.

Harry suspected that somehow Quirrell must be related to Voldemort. But he didn't want to be occupied by any depressing thoughts so he decided to put his father's prank book to good use and started a prank war with the Weasley Twins. The Potter wrist watch proved monumental in preventing him from numerous pranks. This once again led to a joyous atmosphere in the whole castle.

After the exams got over, Harry along with every member of the study group gathered in the grounds and had a picnic to enjoy the end of first year. They all enjoyed the time and promised to continue like this in the next year too. Everyone was in a mood to relax. For Harry, the next day was important since it was the last Quidditch match of the season. Ravenclaw were playing against Gryffindor. It was a tough contest since the chasers of Gryffindor; the girl trio had an exceptional co-ordination. Add to that the Weasley Twins as beaters were also a force to be reckoned with. Also their captain Oliver Wood was a great keeper. This led the Ravenclaws on the back foot from the starting. They knew that they could only beat Gryffindor if Harry somehow manages to catch the snitch before the difference was huge. In the end Harry was able to catch the snitch just at the right time and Ravenclaw won by 220-190.

That night, nobody in the Ravenclaw house slept in the night since everyone was in the mood of partying. Butterbeer was flowing all around with everybody dancing and just enjoying without any care in the world.

It was the day before the end-of-term when the results came out with Harry on top in his year. What made Harry happier was that out of first ten toppers of the first year, seven were from the study group. Even Neville had performed well as compared to his scores before. Harry received an invitation from his Head of house Professor Flitwick. Harry went to his office to find that Professor McGonagall was sitting there along with Flitwick. He was motioned to sit down.

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat and said "After your performance in the practical exams, I and Professor Flitwick discussed our options regarding you. Since we know that you already know everything that is taught till third year, we have two options. But first we want to know, is there any other subject in whom you are far ahead your peers?"

Harry was expecting it and swiftly replied "I'm at the third year level in Potions too."

Both Professors shared a smile. Flitwick said "We were actually expecting it since you seem to have received the best from both your parents. Your father was exceptional in Transfiguration while your mother was a prodigy in Charms as well as Potions. So there are two options; first is that you transfer to fourth year. What do you say?"

Harry was a bit surprised by this but replied almost immediately "That is not an option professor since I can't leave my friends behind. Also I am in no hurry to finish Hogwarts."

Both professors sighed in relief. McGonagall spoke "Alright then, the other option is that you agree to become a sort of apprentice to both of us. Both of us are quite happy with your performance. You are one of those rare students who have both; a passion to learn as well as talent in magic. So think about our offer. You will have normal classes just like your classmates. In addition you will have two lectures with each of us in which we will teach you the course of further years. After that we might move on to make you achieve your mastery."

At the end of her dialogue, Harry had his mouth hanging open. He couldn't believe his luck. The best teachers of two fields were giving him an opportunity to learn at his own pace and that too without losing his friends.

Flitwick chuckled at his expressions and said "Don't worry Harry, we will manage everything else. Infact no one will know about it. You can thoroughly think about it and then give your final answer. Also you might find this piece of information interesting that your mother too received these kinds of lessons in her fifth year from me."

McGonagall looked serious and said "Don't take it lightly Mr. Potter. We will be investing a lot of our time in it. So think about it properly and then send your answer during holidays. Now you may return to your friends."

Harry just nodded, not in any position to speak. He rose from his seat, said goodbye and left, still in a daze. It seemed that the day was not over yet. Just before dinner, Harry received a letter.

_Dear Mr. Potter_

_To be honest, I never expected that you would write a letter to me. So it was quite a surprise when this gorgeous owl flies to me and delivers me a letter from the most famous personality of our world. And what a nice surprise it was. Even though you have recently joined the Wizarding world, it seems you have very maturely handled your situation. I'm quite happy to say that it will be my extreme pleasure to establish family relations with you. Since you are new to this world, I offer you all the help I could provide. If you ever need anything or any sort of advice, the door of my home will always be open for you. It is quite unfortunate that our families who were once the strongest are on the verge of extinction but still not all hope is lost. The way you have started your journey in this world has once again generated hope within me that all is still not lost. While the views of our families might be different on some issues, still the motive has always been the same. So I hope that we will establish a trustworthy and familial relationship which will lead to a beautiful future for all of us. Please stay in contact._

_With love _

_Narcissa_

Harry was quite happy with the response he received and felt that even though it was tilting a bit towards the political side, he could certainly hold a good camaraderie with her.

At the end-of-year feast, Ravenclaw House was awarded the House Cup as well as the Quidditch Cup. Every Ravenclaw was proud of the accomplishment of their house. That night, the whole house stayed late at night partying and dancing, having fun all around. Every one was in the mood of relaxing. The party went ion till three and only stopped when Flitwick forced them to go to sleep since the Hogwarts Express was leaving next day. Reluctantly everyone went to their respective beds.

Next day everyone finished their last-minute packing. Everyone was excited to go to their home. Harry on the other hand was feeling a bit sad. He knew he finally had found a p-lace where he felt that he belonged. Hogwarts had become a home to him. But he knew that he had to endure the next two months away from the castle.

And suddenly, their wardrobes were empty, their trunks were packed,

Neville's toad was found lurking in a corner of the toilets; notes were handed out to all students, warning them not to use magic over the holidays ("I always hope they'll forget to give us these," said Fred Weasley sadly); Hagrid was there to take them down to the fleet of boats that sailed across the lake; they were boarding the Hogwarts Express; talking and laughing as the countryside became greener and tidier; eating Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans as they sped past Muggle towns; pulling off their wizard robes and putting on jackets and coats; pulling into platform nine and three-quarters at King's Cross Station. All the members of study group met on the train and promised to meet and be in contact during the holidays.

It took quite a while for them all to get off the platform. At the platform, there was a crowd of parents and family members waiting for their child to come out of train. Harry took his trunk and shrunk it and kept it in his pocket. He had already sent Hedwig flying towards the Dursley's home.

As he was heading towards the barrier, he was intercepted by Penelope. Her whole family was present. Her father and mother were both half-bloods. Her father William Clearwater worked in the ministry in the Department of Magical Transportation while her mother, Anne worked as a healer in St. Mungos. They were a lively couple. Penelope had an elder brother who worked as a gym trainee for the professional Quidditch teams. Penelope had already told them all about Harry and they greeted him very kindly. They were a normal happy family. They invited Harry to their home during the holidays to which Harry told them that first he would have to take permission from his guardians. He bid them all goodbye and hugged Penelope and started his trek towards the barrier when he was stopped by Neville.

"Um Harry! My grandmother wanted to meet you." He said nervously and pointed towards his grandmother. There standing in all her glory was Augusta Longbottom, the matriarch of the Longbottom, family. She was a formidable looking old witch wearing a long green dress, a moth eaten fox fur and a pointed hat decorated with what was unmistakably a stuffed vulture. Harry nodded and headed towards her with his head held high. He knew it was important to make a correct first impression. He was going to meet her as the Heir Apparent to the House of Potter. He straightened his back and executed a perfect bow while greeting her.

"Good evening Lady Longbottom! It's a pleasure to meet you."

She stared at him straight in the eyes as if measuring his worth as well as sincerity. Whatever she found seemed to satisfy her as she tilted her head to respond to his greeting. She said

"Pleasure is mine. It seems that you really are determined to better your family name. It once again feels invigorating to stand in front of a Potter. I have seen four generations of Potters and what I can surely tell you is that you have a lot to live up to."

Harry smiled slightly and said

"I will try my level best to live up to your expectations Ma'am."

She nodded and said "I would also like to inform you that Longbottoms and Potters have stood with each other in extreme conditions and it would be our pleasure if you are willing to continue that tradition. Since you are new to this world, you may contact us whenever you are in need of help or advice. Also, I would like to thank you for your help that you provided to my grandson."

"Thanks for your generosity Ma'am. Neville has been a loyal friend and just lacks a bit of self-confidence. I hope to share a great friendship in the future with him." Harry said without missing a beat.

He bid the Longbottoms good bye and headed towards the barrier. A wizened old guard was up by the ticket barrier, letting them go through the gate in twos and threes so they didn't attract attention by all bursting out of a solid wall at once and alarming the Muggles. He knew the Dursleys won't be waiting for him. He had decided to take the Knight bus to Privet Drive. At last the year had ended.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: It seems till now I forgot to post disclaimer. So rectifying the mistake, this story belongs to J K Rowling and I am unfortunately not earning anything. **

**Author's Note: Thanks to all the reviewers. ****Hello everyone! I apologize to all those who read my story.**** I'm very happy with the way you are accepting and complimenting my story. Please continue to do so. It really is a great morale booster for me. Also if you have any suggestions, send them as soon as possible. Have fun reading! **

**CHAPTER 13**

**SUMMER OF SURPRISES**

It had been two weeks since Harry returned after completing his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And if the Dursleys were unhappy to have him back for the holidays, it was nothing to how Harry felt. He missed Hogwarts so much it was like having a constant stomachache. He missed the castle, with its secret passageways and ghosts, his classes, the mail arriving by owl, eating banquets in the Great Hall, sleeping in his four-poster bed in the tower dormitory, visiting the gamekeeper, Hagrid, in his cabin next to the Forbidden Forest in the grounds, Quidditch, the most popular sport in the wizarding world (six tall goal posts, four flying balls, and fourteen players on broomsticks) and especially, he missed being able to do magic and not worrying about any law. But what he missed the most was his friends. The thing that bothered him the most was that till now he had sent quite a few letters to his friends but not received a single one. It was surprising since all of them had promised to stay in touch regularly. This seclusion was making him feel as if he was never a part of magical world.

After one week of getting thoroughly bored Harry decided to join Martial Arts classes that were recently opened in the neighborhood. He spent three hours daily, learning how to defend as well as attack. He was also asked to do meditation in order to achieve maximum concentration during the spars. His trainer was actually an old Chinese man named Sensei Ching, who was the owner of the facility. He was a patient man who helped Harry set his own pace since it seemed that Harry was a comparatively fast learner.

Next few days passed in a haze. He woke up and did the morning chores, and then he went for his morning run. After coming back he prepared lunch along with his Aunt. In the afternoon, he read books that were not related to the subjects taught at Hogwarts. Books like '_Notable Magical Names of Our Time_', '_The Self-updating Book of Law_' and '_The Complete History of the Most Ancient and Noble Houses_'. In the evening he went for Martial Arts. He came back totally tired, had dinner and went to sleep.

One afternoon while reading the book on law that governs the Magical Britain, Harry found that Wandless magic was not traced by the Ministry. In fact he could use Wandless magic without any repercussions. From that day onwards Harry spent a couple of hours daily trying to hone his skills in this form of magic. He started with levitation charm. In the first week he only advanced enough that he could slightly shake the quill on which he was practicing but that encouraged him to continue with it. The next week proved fruitful since he was successful in levitating even though quill only rose up in the air for few moments. It seems that mastering it would take some more time but at least it wasn't impossible.

Finally after fifteen days of waiting for a response from his friends, Harry decided that enough was enough. He had exchanged phone number with Hermione and he was going to call her. He was very angry with all his friends and dialed the number to the house of muggleborn witch with full intent of unleashing his anger on her.

_Tring tring…_

"Granger residence…!"

"Hello Hermione! This is Harry Potter speaking. You might have heard of me. We go to the same school; in fact we are year mates. I also thought we were friends but now it seems as if I was mistaken because you seem so busy that you don't have the time to reply to me even once. You still recognize me or do I need to tell anything else about myself?" Harry said in a voice full of sarcasm.

It seemed that Hermione had gone in a shock at hearing the temper in her friend's voice. Harry was already getting impatient so he prompted, "What have you got to say about yourself Miss Granger?"

This broke Hermione from the trance and she started babbling, "Oh I am so sorry Harry but I did reply to your letters. I didn't know that you weren't receiving any. Actually Padma informed me in her letter that you were not responding her too so I thought that you might be busy with something and not replying to any of our letters. Please believe me when I say that none of us have forgotten you, and please calm down."

At hearing this Harry felt a bit guilty for talking to her in such a rude manner. He immediately apologized for his behavior which Hermione was too happy to forgive. After that both of them talked about whatever they were doing in their vacations. Hermione had just comeback after visiting her Family gathering. Also she told him that she was planning a visit to Rome next month. In the end they discussed about what might be interrupting their mail. Harry decided that he was going to inform his Head of the House, Professor Flitwick. Both friends chatted a little bit more and then finally decided to hang up.

Harry felt loads better after talking to Hermione. His friends were not ignoring him. It was just some problem with the mail delivery. Harry decided to quickly address the problem. He wrote a letter to Professor Flitwick, asking his assistance in the matter. He sent the letter with Hedwig and decided that there was nothing more he could do at this instance.

Three days after sending his letter, Harry got a surprise when Professor Flitwick appeared at the doorstep of number 4, Privet Drive. Thankfully only Aunt Petunia was in the house at that time so it didn't cause any problem.

"Hmmm…... so are you trying to say that your letters are reaching your friends but you are not receiving any mail?"

Waiting for Harry's nod, he continued, "It seems like someone is intercepting your mail. Don't worry Mr. Potter, I will look into the situation and try to solve it as soon as possible."

Harry sighed with relief and thanked the Professor for his help. Professor Flitwick waved it off and said, "No problem Mr. Potter. Now heading to the other topic, I would like to know your answer to the offer that I and Professor McGonagall proposed to you at the end of the session. Have you given it a thought?"

Harry stayed silent for a few moments. He had given this offer a great deal of thought since he came back from Hogwarts and didn't find any negative aspects in it. He looked at Professor and said, "I accept the offer sir, I promise I'll do my best and won't disappoint you."

The cheery Professor smiled contentedly and said, "We don't expect anything else Mr. Potter, otherwise we would never have approached you. Both of us felt that you have extraordinary amount of talent as well as dedication. You have the potential to become one of the greatest wizards the history has ever produced." Shortly after that, the Professor bid farewell and left the house. Harry felt proud at the encouraging words of the diminutive Professor and became more determined to prove his mentor correct.

Four days after the Professor's visit, Harry received his first letter in the whole summer. Along with it came a package. Harry rushed towards it with excitement. He quickly opened the letter to find it was from Professor Flitwick. It seems that some house-elf named Dobby was intercepting his mail. Flitwick informed that the matter was now solved and Harry would now have a proper form of communication without any problem. Also the package that came along with the letter contained all the posts that were meant for him.

Harry immediately wrote a letter thanking Professor Flitwick. After sending the letter with the owl that brought them, Harry dove into the package. In the package he found quite a few posts. Most of them were from the various members of the study group, thanking him for his help in the last year, telling about their vacations and asking about his holidays. He decided to respond to every one of them. Apart from mails from his schoolmates, Harry received a letter from Andromeda. She was quite receptive of his attempt at correspondence. Andromeda informed him that she along with her Husband, Ted Tonks ran a law firm with its office located in an alley just adjacent to Diagon Alley. She also had a daughter who was a seventh year Hufflepuff named Nymphadora Tonks. She promised to offer him assistance whenever he needed. Harry was very happy to read the letter and promised to reply to it. Now there were two more posts; one from Gringotts which was a monthly statement of his accounts. The last one on the other hand was a big surprise. It was from one of the top Quidditch teams of Wizarding World; The Puddlemere United. Harry simply stared at the letter for few minutes before finally opening it. It read

_Mr. Harry James Potter_

_We have recently come to know of your interest in the game of Quidditch. Also we have heard that you play the position of seeker quite well. We conduct a Summer Training Camp each year in order to prepare our bench strength as well as next generation for the big games. We are considering allowing you to attend this camp and thus invite you to visit our Summer Training Camp that is going to start from 20__th__ June. If you perform well enough, you may get the chance to practice in international facilities. Also the guidance that you might receive here would be quite a big advantage. The site of the camp is written on the parchment tagged along with the letter. Hoping to see you on the above-mentioned date!_

_Philbert Deverill_

_Manager, The Puddlemere United_

Today was 19th, so it meant that Harry had to go there tomorrow if he wanted to grab this precious opportunity. He couldn't believe that he was being invited in the training camp of the oldest team in the league. That night he wrote replies to all his friends telling all of them about his "Dobby" problem as well his invite to the Quidditch Training Camp. After sending them with Hedwig, he went to sleep.

Next day he woke up earlier than usual and got ready for the day. He prepared breakfast, told his Aunt about his destination and left the house carrying his broomstick with him. He took the Knight Bus to the destination and reached there in fifteen minutes time. He still had not got accustomed to the bumpy ride of the Knight Bus but thankfully was able to stop himself from smashing into the window pane. He exited to bus and found himself looking at a massive stadium. It was in a remote area surrounded by forests on all sides. Harry felt his excitement growing as he took steps towards the gates. He showed the invitation to the guards followed by a lot of staring at his scar. He was then escorted by a guard to the inside of the building. The moving pictures of Puddlemere United's most famous winning movements were displayed on the walls of corridor. Harry went to the office to find a man in his fifties sitting behind a big desk. He looked up at him and smiled.

"Ah, Mr Potter, it is a great pleasure to meet you! A great pleasure indeed! I was beginning to wonder if you would ever come! My name is Richard Wellington and I am the manager of The Puddlemere United." The man gleefully declared frantically grabbing Harry's hand and shaking it furiously.

"Uh... yes, the pleasure is mine." Harry politely replied.

"Please sit!" the elder wizard said while motioning towards a seat.

"You might be wondering how we came to know about your talent in Quidditch, right?"

At Harry's nod he continued "Actually your flying instructor Madame Hooch was my year mate and good friend. She always informs me whenever she sees some exceptionally talented player and I always try to give them a chance to prove themselves. You also might be surprised to know that she suggested your father's name too but then he was in sixth year. Your father attended summer training camp but discontinued because he felt that he was much more needed in the ministry where he worked as a hit wizard." Harry was quite surprised to know this piece of information and felt proud that he was following his father's footsteps.

"Still, you are a surprise for me Mr Potter. It is the first time that Rolanda suggested the name of a soon-to-be twelve boy. So you must understand why I might be a bit sceptical about you. So today you will have to compete with another ten players who have been handpicked by my scouts. If you play better than them, you may attend the summer training camp."

Now Harry was starting to feel very nervous. His excitement was ebbing away and nervousness was occupying its place.

"Okay so as I see it you have bought the broomstick with you and that too a Nimbus 2000. That's good. So without any delay let me just show you towards the field."

Both of them moved towards the pitch. Even from a distance harry could see a few players in the air. Mr Wellington led him to the middle of a pitch where a man in his forties was instructing a few young players.

"Paul, can I have a few seconds?" Mr Wellington asked the man. Paul looked towards them and just nodded. He gave a few instructions and then came towards them. Paul was a man with tremendous height, broad shoulders, a peculiar mix of white-blond hair, and arresting blue eyes.

Richard elicited a bright smile. "Ah, Paul, busy with the players?"

"Most of these lads here are not worth my time. Thankfully they will be gone and I will only have to coach those who have material." Paul sighed.

"Is this the kid you were talking about?" Paul asked pointing towards Harry.

Glancing at Harry, Richard nodded giddily. "Yes! Let me present to you a remarkably talented young man, Harry Potter!" Paul's eyes widened a bit as he too took a customary glance at the infamous scar. "Harry, this is the Puddlemere United coach, Paul White."

"A pleasure to meet you, sir," Harry politely acknowledged.

The man eyed him up and down, making Harry increasingly uncomfortable. "Are you sure he's up for it, Richard? This kid is what... eleven? You know I won't accept him just because he is Boy-who-lived?"

"He is suggested by Madame Hooch, Paul and you know she is very picky. And I am only asking that you at least give him a chance to prove himself. If he fails your expectations, you may kick him out. Is that fine with you?" Richard explained.

The boy was too young for his taste. After all, he was still a mere first year student! Oh, well. He'd just have to go along with the procedure accordingly. He finally nodded and addressed Harry for the first time.

"Alright! Be ready kid. You can join the others in the second pitch, and we'll see what you're made of. If I don't take a liking to you, you'll be dropped out and never to step a foot in here again. Do I make myself clear?"

Harry just nodded. Trials were held for the whole day. The youngest player apart from him was a fifteen year old wizard, so Harry was feeling quite nervous at the prospect of facing those having years of experience on him. First occurred the trials for Chasers, then the Beaters and after that Keeper. Now the only ones remaining were those who came for seeker try-outs. There were eleven people including him.

"I'm going to release twenty snitches. Try to catch as many as you can. While you are searching for them, my four beaters will be hurling bludgers at you with full force. So you have to save your hide from them too. Now any queries?" Paul boomed. Everyone replied in negative. All this while Harry was getting even more nervous as every other player was staring at him and cracking jokes. Finally all the players mounted their brooms as coach released twenty snitches at the same time. After ten seconds of waiting, Paul blew the whistle and all eleven players kicked off the ground. He wobbled a bit in the starting but quickly got his act together. As he looked around him he found all others zooming all around the pitch while searching for the snitch.

Next hour was very tiring for Harry since he gave his full concentration on flying while escaping the bludgers as well as all his opponents. In the end Harry caught the last snitch and Paul blew his whistle for the final time. All the players headed towards the coach to find the results.

"Alright everyone, you have all performed well but as you know we only accept extraordinary performers, so let's take a look at your score. Out of eleven of you four were caught by bludgers and are right now in the infirmary getting over their injuries. So they are out of competition. Of the remaining seven, Harry potter caught the maximum snitches. His score is an amazing eleven. Apart from him Lionel King caught six snitches. These are the top scorers and they have been selected to receive training this summer. Everyone else, you played well but not well enough. Hope to see your improved game next summer. You can move."

Every player was shocked to know that they were beaten by an eleven year old kid. Also add the fact that the person whom they were making fun of was actually the boy-who-lived. All of the unselected ones grumbled their displeasure while Harry and Lionel moved to other side where all other selected players were standing. Each player came to them and congratulated them for their performance. They all patted his back for the dangerous stunts that he pulled off during the game. Further discussions were laid to rest as coach gave them instructions for next two months.

The administration had selected six chasers, four beaters, two keepers and two seekers. All of them had to attend the training sessions each morning with weekends off. They were provided with Quidditch gears and given a tour of the whole stadium. Finally after a whole day of hard work, the coach decided to give them leave for the day. They were all provided with medallions that acted as portkey. It deposited them from any location to the stadium. Harry returned Privet Drive by Knight Bus. As he reached the house, he immediately headed to his room after informing his aunt of his arrival. He fell asleep as soon as he hit the pillows.

For the next two months, Harry got used to the new schedule. Every morning he woke up early, freshened up, wore the navy-blue robes emblazoned with two crossed golden bulrushes and took the portkey to the stadium. He went through the physical regimen that was set by the coach which included running laps around the field, stretching and then playing. He was introduced to new strategies and also received tips from various professional players. Initially almost everyone doubted his abilities on the pitch but after watching him fly and perform dangerous stunts with ease, everyone accepted as well as appreciated him. There were still a few who felt that the only reason Harry could attend the camp was because of his fame but Harry ignored them since they meant nothing to him. After playing, everyone had to spend an hour in the gym followed. After having shower Harry returned to Dursleys' house. Aunt Petunia knew about his taxing schedule and thus had breakfast ready for him.

Afternoons were spent either sleeping or practising Wandless magic. In the evening he went to the Martial arts classes where he was progressing quite well. On the weekends, Harry spent time with all his primary school friends whether it be playing football or going for a movie or to an amusement park.

Finally the end of July had approached and it was time for Harry to leave Privet Drive. As he looked back at his time spent in Privet Drive this year, Harry found that it was the most enjoyable time he ever had in this place. He had already informed his Sensei of his plans. Sensei had wished him luck for the next ten months and strictly ordered him to continue with his practice each day. He had been invited by Augusta Longbottom in the birthday party of Neville from where he was going straightaway to Penelope's farmhouse. He was practically ordered by her to spend his last month there.

He took permission from Aunt Petunia, packed all his belongings in his trunk, minimised it and kept it in his pocket. That day he departed to Longbottom Manor directly from the camp using floo. He came out of the floo to find himself staring in awe as he took in the large sitting room that he had come into with a high, ornate ceiling, several comfortable chairs, a large couch and loveseat, along with several portraits around on the light tan walls. However what truly caught Harry's attention was the large window that looked over the North Sea from a large cliff.

Harry's focus was broken by a voice behind him. "Welcomes to Longbottom Manor, Mister Potter! Mistress Longbottom asks me to leads you to her."

Harry turned to see a small house elf that was maybe a foot and a half tall with a small towel on his form that looked like a toga. He nodded to the little elf and began to follow him. As he made his way from the sitting room, Harry continued to look in awe of the house he was in. While the walls stayed to the tan colour, he was able to see several rooms as he followed his guide including a large study with quite a few book shelves filled to over flowing and what looked like a bathing room with a sauna. But what truly caught his attention was a large, grand staircase that he passed as he made his way by the large front doors before finally making it into the dining room.

Upon entering he noticed Madam Longbottom sitting at the head of a large ten-person table that looked centuries old. She was clad in a casual, blue witch's robe with her hair held back in a loose ponytail and reading an issue of the _Daily Prophet_. "Good evening madam, yous guest has arrived."

Madam Longbottom looked up and gave the elf a nod and smile. "Thank you Ed." The little elf nodded before popping away. "Come sit down Mr Potter" she said kindly inclining her head to the seat to her left.

"I was informed by Neville that you will join us for lunch. So how were you holidays till now?"

"They are going quite well Madam Longbottom. I enjoyed with my friends in the muggle world. Also I've been busy attending the Quidditch training camp of Puddlemere United." Harry replied.

"Hmm! Neville told me that you have been attending the camp. You should be proud Mr Potter. I have never heard anyone as young as you being allowed in such camps. I also must admit that if anyone could do it, it could only be a Potter. They have always been quite proficient at flying. Add to it their recklessness and you get a perfect fit for a Quidditch player. James was quite crazy about the game so he would surely be proud of you." She commented while smiling slightly. Harry too smiled and thanked her. The elder witch nodded to the young man and was about to continue the small talk when she heard footsteps coming down the staircase outside of the dining room. Harry heard the steps too and looked to the door to see Neville Longbottom walk through. Harry wished him for his birthday. The two teens exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes before their meals arrived thanks to the house elves. The three ate in relative silence with little snippets of conversation thrown in. Once their meals were finished, the three made their way to the large study Harry had seen when he arrived at the manor to relax and talk some more about themselves.

Neville told him that only the close family members were invited. Harry felt touched to know that he was invited in what was apparently a family gathering and told them so but the elder witch waved it off saying that Potters were almost family. Augusta Longbottom was surprised when Harry acknowledged the fact that he knew Alice was his godmother. He also expressed his wish to visit Neville's parents at St. Mungos. The witch promised to take him the next time they visited the hospital. They talked some more until Madam Longbottom had to go for some work. After that Neville took him outside the manor to show the grounds, specially the Greenhouses which he himself took care of. They roamed around the estate while talking about inconsequential things. It was almost time for his relatives to arrive, so Neville showed Harry to a guestroom and left for his own room. Harry got dressed in the wizarding robes for dinner.

The evening passed without any problems. Harry got to know that of the main line of Longbottoms, only Neville and his gran survived. The guests were from distant branches of the family. Harry was welcomed by the family members. Infact no one was surprised to see a Potter in their family gathering. Harry was surprised to know that all of them knew his Grandfather Charlus Potter personally. They told him that his grandfather retired from his post of Head of Aurors after the war with Grindelwald ended. He led the Aurors during the war quite well. After that he was quite active in politics. Most of them also said that he could have easily become the Minister of Magic if he wanted but he didn't want to be held by any responsibilities.

One individual that Harry was determined to remember was Neville's Great Uncle Algie. He was a tall blonde haired man with a goatee. He was the elder brother of Lady Longbottom. Neville had informed him that he was an Unspeakable and that had aroused Harry's interest in him. Uncle Algie as he was called by Neville was actually Algerson Croaker. He was a very cheerful person with always a smile on his face. Since Harry knew that his mother was also an unspeakable, he wanted to know more about the work they were supposed to do. The elder wizard didn't disappoint him. He answered all the questions as best as he could. Harry learned that unspeakable were very secretive of their work. Harry was disappointed to know that Mr. Croaker didn't personally know his mother as she was in the research department but was still thankful about the knowledge. After dinner Neville received quite a few gifts from his family. Harry too gifted him with a subscription of Neville's favourite Herbology magazine for the next year.

After the party, Harry said his goodbyes to the Longbottoms promising to stay in contact and entered the fireplace while shouting "CLEARWATER FARMHOUSE" as he threw the floo powder. After a great deal of spinning, he landed on his back, covered in soot, in a living room. As soon as he got up, he heard a shout of his name and found himself once again on the floor as he felt somebody colliding with him. His vision was obscured by curly golden brown hair which Harry quickly identified as Penelope's. He laughed out aloud and returned the hug with as much enthusiasm to his pseudo-sister. Finally after squeezing the life out of each other, both of them got up.

Penelope then dragged him to the sitting room where rest of her family was sitting. It seemed all of them had just finished dinner. Harry kissed Anne's hand in greeting while bowing and shook hands with William, Penelope's father and Justin, her elder brother. Having met Justin for the first time, Harry felt quite impressed by his physique. Justin was six feet eight with heavy muscles and without an ounce of fat that made him look quite intimidating.

They all talked for a little while before finally they retired for the night. Penelope showed him to the Guest room which was on the first floor and waved him goodnight. Harry looked around to find himself in a medium sized room with a four poster bed along with a study table in one corner and a wardrobe on the other side. Harry just took out his nightclothes from his trunk not bothering to unpack since he was feeling very tired. He fell asleep as soon as he hit the pillows.

Harry felt as though he had barely lain down to sleep when he was being shaken awake by Penelope. He sat on his to find her dressed in nightclothes too. She smiled at him, hugged him hard and said

"Happy Birthday little bro!"

She then pointed towards the table where a very small chocolate cake sat surrounded by twelve colored candles. Harry felt quite touched with her gesture and looked at Penelope questioningly. She just smiled and said cheerfully

"Its twelve o'clock sleepy head and you are now officially twelve years old. So just make a wish, blow the candles and cut the cake."

Harry's face split into a smile as he jumped out the bed and took the knife offered by the witch and followed what she had told him to do. They had their private small party that night. Later, Penelope told him that she had made the cake herself. Harry appreciated the gesture and thanked her again and again. She also gave him a gift. Harry excitedly opened the package to find a photo frame carrying four snaps of both of them. One was of them studying together; other was of Penelope teaching Harry a spell. The next one was of Harry and Penelope sleeping on the couch while leaning on each other with books in their laps in the common room. The last one was of both of them throwing snowballs at each other in the school grounds.

Harry just stared at the gift for few minutes. All the while Penelope was fidgeting while wondering if Harry liked her gift. As Harry looked up, Penelope found herself looking at the beautiful emerald green eyes brimmed with tears. Harry didn't say anything, just lunged himself at her and hugged her while sniffing. Penelope just patted him on the back while hugging him, knowing that Harry wasn't used to people loving him. After few minutes, Harry disentangled himself and while looking down murmured an apology.

"What are you apologizing for? You haven't done anything wrong Harry." Penelope asked.

"Thanks for the gift Penelope. It's the best gift I've ever received."Harry said.

"I'm happy that you like it. I was thinking on what to give you for the first time on your birthday, and then finally chose this one for my little brother." She said while ruffling his hair.

They talked some more for an hour until both felt quite sleepy. Penelope went to her room and Harry once again fell asleep but this time with a broad grin on his face.

Next day Harry woke up as his alarm for Quidditch Practice sounded off. He quickly headed to the bathroom in the hallway to get freshened up for the day. After getting dressed, he headed towards the sitting room to find Penelope sitting on a couch reading from a magazine. As she saw him, a smile appeared on her face as she got up to give him a quick hug while wishing him again. She asked

"Its time for you to head for your camp, right?"

"I will return by noon." Harry nodded to her and replied.

He then took his portkey and landed at the camp. Practice went as usual. In the end though, Harry got a surprise. Everyone in the camp had gathered as the teammates had thrown him a huge party. Everyone enjoyed the party and danced around. The adults drank firewhiskey while under-aged settled for butterbeer. They danced around and had a lot of fun. All his teammates had contributed to give him a full Quidditch gear as a gift. From the administration, Harry received his own crate of premium Quidditch Balls, that too of professional level as a birthday gift. Thankfully it could shrink with just a tap of wand. Harry thanked everyone profusely for the surprise party. Finally Harry took his leave and portkeyed to Penelope's home.

As he reached the farmhouse he found Penelope waiting for him. They had a quick lunch during which Harry told her all about the surprise birthday party. After lunch he showed her the gifts he received at the party. Penelope was understandably awed at seeing the expensive gifts and ooh'ed and aah'ed at right intervals. She herself was a huge enthusiast of Quidditch. After that Penelope took him for a tour of the farmhouse.

The farmhouse was quite big with a stable as well. The main house was not very big. It only had two storey. The garden around it was well maintained. There was also a bit of vegetation in the fields. There were only agricultural fields along with few houses in the neighborhood. Since the farmhouse was away from cities, the quietness it provided was very soothing. They wandered around the grounds for hours till finally both of them decided to head towards the house as it was getting dark. As both of them entered the house, they found themselves engulfed in total darkness.

"Lets go towards the sitting room. We have got few candles there." Came Penelope's voice through the darkness."

"Okay" Harry headed in that direction.

As they reached the sitting room, Harry waited as Penelope searched for the candles. He was still standing when suddenly there was a huge shout of "SURPRISE!" and in an instant whole room was alighted with all kinds of lightening. Then he was engulfed in a hug from all sides. He adjusted his eyes for the sudden change and himself surrounded with all his study group friends along with his teammates of house Quidditch team. Right now he was in a hug from Padma, Hermione, Su and Morag, all at once. After they all left him, everyone else wished him. Terry, Anthony, Neville and Blaise just shook his hand and patted him on the back while wishing him happy birthday while Susan, Hannah, Daphne and Tracey all gently hugged him in greeting. His teammates were of other mind as they just held him while throwing him up and down. Clearwaters also greeted him.

After the greetings, all of them took Harry towards the table on which a huge cake was placed. Harry was filled with extreme happiness at seeing all his friends. He cut the cake while everyone sang the birthday song for him at full volume. This was the first time he remembered getting a proper birthday party and he decided to enjoy it to the fullest. For the next few hours, all the friends danced together, played games and had a lot of fun. Harry received an overwhelming amount of gifts from his friends. He also received gifts from his teachers namely McGonagall, Flitwick and Dumbledore. He also got feathers of rare wildlife as gift from Hagrid. He could make quills for himself from these feathers.

He received books, candies, chocolates, different Quidditch assortments and joke products among various gifts. He thanked each of them for coming to his birthday party. He came to know that it was basically Hermione, Padma and Penelope who had planned the whole party. The decorations were made while Penelope was showing him the grounds. As it became late, everyone departed to their home while wishing Harry for the last time. After that only the Clearwaters and Harry were left. Harry thanked all of them for arranging the party. All of them just accepted this with a smile on their faces.

Next few weeks went normally. On the weekdays, Harry went to the camp and after that spent the whole day either with Penelope or finishing homework or practicing Wandless magic. Sometimes he and Penelope went out in the muggle world to watch movies, go for grocery shopping or just to hang out. On the weekends though, the Clearwaters took Harry to the historical places all around Magical Britain. It was usually a fun time hanging out with them as Harry never felt like a guest in their home. He helped Anne with the cooking (which everyone appreciated a lot) and participated in the few chores of the house.

During his stay, Harry learned different modes of transportation from William and the useful tips to travel gracefully. Now he no longer stumbled after travelling with floo or portkey and could sit in a comfortable way in the Knight Bus. He also flew a bit on the Magical carpet which William told him was actually illegal but that didn't stop him from giving Harry a ride. Harry was introduced to one more new thing; kick-boxing. Penelope's brother Justin showed him few moves after which Harry asked to be taught in it. In return Harry started teaching him Martial arts. So everyday they used to train for an hour. This made sure Harry kept up with his practice of Martial Arts while learning a new way of defending as well as attacking.

Two weeks before the end of vacations, Harry, Penelope and Anne visited Diagon Alley to get their school supplies. They first went to the Gringotts to withdraw money and after that purchased the supplies. In the end only books were left. As they approached it, they saw to their surprise a large crowd jostling out side the doors, trying to get in. The reason for this was proclaimed by a large banner stretched across the upper windows:

GILDEROY LOCKHART

Will be signing copies of his autobiography

MAGICAL ME

Today 12:30 P.m. to 4:30 P.m.

Through the crowd they headed inside to get their course material. Anne and Penelope went away to browse the books telling him to meet at the counter in an hour. Harry started to get the required books. He was looking in the Charms section when he was tapped at the shoulder. He turned around to find himself looking at a tall, slim, nice looking and pale woman with blue eyes and long blonde hair. She was dressed in expensive robes and gave off a regal aura. Harry looked at her with confusion and asked

"Can I help you?"

Her mouth just twitched lightly while she replied in a soft voice

"Hello Mr. Potter. I am your cousin, Narcissa."

Harry's eyes widened in recognition and he quickly bowed to her while kissing her hand lightly.

"I apologize for not recognizing you Miss Narcissa. And thanks for replying to my letter."

She just smiled kindly and said

"I can understand why you didn't recognize me. And please drop the formal act. We are cousins Mr. Potter. You may just call me Narcissa."

"Then please call me Harry, just Harry."

"So, Harry ready for your second year? I was quite surprised when my son told me that you were sorted in Ravenclaw. Potters usually are Gryffindors." She said.

"Your son?" Harry asked, surprised.

"Oh, you don't know my son Draco?" she asked, surprised herself.

"You are the mother of Draco Malfoy?" Harry asked, shocked.

Narcissa actually smiled at his expressions and said

"Yes Harry, Draco is my son. I am now Narcissa Malfoy-nee-Black."

"Sorry I just knew your name before marriage. I hope you are not offended." He said sheepishly.

The witch just waved off his apologies. They talked a bit more about Harry's experience in the Wizarding world till now until it was time for Narcissa to depart.

"I am really sorry to cut this nice meeting short but I have an appointment somewhere Harry. But I would like to invite you for lunch at my home next Friday." Narcissa said.

Harry thought for a few moments while thinking of anything else he had planned until finally he accepted the offer. Narcissa quickly wrote down the floo address and gave it to him. She gave him a light hug and went outside the door. Harry had already got all his course books except DADA so he headed towards that section.

A shout of his name made him look towards the source of the voice. He found himself looking at a wizard who was surrounded by a huge crowd which was mostly composed of females. Harry recognized him from the numerous photo frames that were in the bookshop as Gilderoy Lockhart. He was wearing robes of forget-me-not blue that exactly matched his eyes; his pointed wizard's hat was set at a jaunty angle on his wavy hair. Lockhart dived forward, seized

Harry's arm, and pulled him to the front. The crowd burst into applause. Harry's face burned as Lockhart shook his hand for the photographer, who was clicking away madly.

"Nice big smile, Harry," said Lockhart, through his own gleaming teeth.

"Together, you and I are worth the front page."

When he finally let go of Harry's hand, Harry could hardly feel his fingers. Lockhart threw an arm around his shoulders and clamped him tightly to his side.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said loudly, waving for quiet. "What an extraordinary moment this is! The perfect moment for me to make a little announcement I've been sitting on for some time! When young Harry here stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, he only wanted to buy my autobiography -which I shall be happy to present him now, free of charge-" The crowd applauded again.

"He had no idea," Lockhart continued, giving Harry a little shake, "that he would shortly be getting much, much more than my book, Magical Me. He and his schoolmates will, in fact, be getting the real magical me. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have great pleasure and pride in announcing that this September; I will be taking up the post of Defense against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

The crowd cheered and clapped and Harry found himself being presented with the entire works of Gilderoy Lockhart signed by him. Staggering slightly under their weight, he managed to make his way out of the limelight to the edge of the room, where he could see Anne looking at him in awe while Penelope smirking at him and shaking her head slightly. Harry shook his head irritated while handing over all the 'gifted' books to Anne, who Harry could see was a fan of Lockhart. She tried to refuse half-heartedly but Harry forced her to accept it. He got a tight hug from Anne as she excitedly looked through the books.

"Not a single word Penelope." He said warningly as he could see she was about to start teasing him. She held up her hands in surrender at seeing him and they quickly headed for the counter. They finished their trip with an ice-cream at the Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlor.

Next week Harry browsed through his books finding that he already knew most of the stuff. He also came to a conclusion that there was nothing worth reading in the Lockhart books. On Friday Harry got properly dressed in the Wizarding robes as he had to attend lunch at Malfoy Manor. When he told Clearwaters about the invitation, they all told him to tread very carefully. William told him that Lucius was a convicted follower of Lord Voldemort and only got off because of his wealth citing Imperious curse as his reason of committing crimes. William also admitted the fact that Lucius was one of the most important members of Wizengamot and if Harry could take him in confidence, it will only be a bonus in future.

Anne told him that Narcissa was member of elite society of witches and was considered quite powerful in station as well as magical power. She was involved quite heavily in the charity functions including those in St. Mungos because of which Anne knew about her. Harry took these advices seriously and flooed to their Manor. It was located in the southern English country of Wiltshire. As Harry gracefully walked out of the fireplace, he found himself in a wide proportioned room. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, more portraits against the dark purple walls. Suddenly a house-elf popped in front of him and led him towards a couch.

Harry had just sat on it when Narcissa came. He greeted her with a hug and they settled down. They chatted a little and then she led him towards a Dining Hall. It had a huge Dining table which could accommodate almost twenty people at once. Harry found Mr. Malfoy and Draco entering the hall from other side. They headed towards him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well as host you for Lunch, Mr. Potter." Mr. Malfoy said softly while shaking his hand. Draco too shook his hand in greeting.

They headed towards the table and had a grand lunch. The amount of food put on the table was so much that Harry doubted even the Dursleys would be able to finish in a week. They ate their lunch after which all of them settled in a sitting room. Mr. Malfoy asked him about his days in Hogwarts. Harry told him that he enjoyed his time and had made quite a few friends.

Slowly the talk shifted towards blood-purity. Harry knew Lucius Malfoy was a huge supporter of 'Pureblood Supremacy'. When he was asked about it Harry very carefully replied

"I am very new to the society so I don't know all the facts. At his moment the only thing I can say that I am against the notion of killing muggles because they admittedly outnumber us by 200:1. Add the fact that their technology has seen a rapid growth in the last century with which we can't compete. I am also against the thought of magical and muggle world co-existing with each other. That can never happen as muggles would try to terminate us as soon as they know about our existence. If they can fight a war which leads to thousands of muggles getting killed just for the sake of natural resources then how could one expect them to let us live and share the resources? Some other thought needs to be introduced in order to make sure that magical world continue to exist for many more centuries."

When Harry finished his response, Harry saw that Lucius didn't seem to agree fully while Draco was thinking deeply about what he said. On the other hand Narcissa was looking at him with a small smile on her face.

"Hmm….you Mr. Potter have a different view of things but atleast you don't think like some other incompetent fools who act as though we should offer our world to them on a silver patter. Just look at those Weasleys, those blood-traitors don't have brain but still shout the loudest, as if anyone wants their opinion."Mr. Malfoy sneered while spitting out about the Weasleys.

They talked a bit more after which Mr. Malfoy took his leave. Draco then invited for a bit of flying which Harry accepted. They flew for an hour on the impressive Quidditch field that was on the backside of the Manor. As they landed, Draco went to his room and Harry headed towards Narcissa who was waiting for him along with tea. She told him of how impressed she was with his answers to her husband. For the next hour, they talked a bit about their families. Harry found that Andromeda had married a Muggleborn because of which she was blasted off the family tree. After that incident, Narcissa never talked to her.

Harry mentioned that he was still learning about the most basic things of Wizarding culture and wanted to make sure that he was prepared to take the responsibility of becoming a Lord when the time comes. Narcissa offered to send him a list of tutors who taught the children of well respected families the etiquettes and manners, politics, accounts management, proper Wizengamot procedures and history of prominent families of wizarding world for which Harry thanked her. Finally it was time for Harry to go, so he took his leave.

Next few days went off normally and Harry started getting excited because he knew that very soon he will be heading towards his home. He couldn't wait for the first of September.

**REMEMBER THE REVIEWS. TO BE CONTINUED…..**


	15. AUTHOR'S NOTE

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**All right people let me clear this. I edited the first chapter since I gave it the title of 'EPILOGUE' instead of 'PROLOGUE'. When I published it as well as placed it as chapter 1, it still came out as Chapter 14. What the heck could I do in that? When I saw all your reviews, I again tried, and then only it got okay. It's some site ill-functioning. So, I hope I clarified the whole thing.**

**Now about the story update, I will be updating it regularly from now. You can expect at least one update per fortnight. So keep in touch with the story.**

**See u all soon….**

**datewithdestiny**


	16. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER 15**

**HEIR OF SLYTHERIN & QUIDDITCH**

**Disclaimer**** – Harry Potter belongs solely to J.K. Rowling and i am unfortunately not earning anything from it.**

**Author's Note**** – I apologise for making you all wait for so long but I missed the motivation to write anymore. It was like a block that was not allowing me to write anymore. Somehow I've finished this chapter. Hope you will like it. No promises about the next chapter but rest assured this story won't be abandoned. Read & review...**

On the morning of 1st September, Harry woke up earlier than usual and quickly got ready for the journey. He also prepared a 'thank-you' breakfast for the family. Anne scolded him but Harry just smiled at her and motioned towards the breakfast. After breakfast all of them took a ride in Justin's car. They reached King's Cross at half past ten. William dashed across the road to get trolleys for their trunks and they all hurried into the station. The family was running through the station swerving the carts to avoid the muggles. Finally they reached the barrier between platform 9 and 10.

Harry made sure that Hedwig's cage was safely wedged on top of his trunk and wheeled his trolley around to face the barrier. He felt perfectly confident; this wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as using Floo powder. He bent low over the handles of his trolleys and walked purposefully toward the barrier, gathering speed. A few feet away from it, he broke into a run and travelled through the wall.

The gleaming Hogwarts Express stood on the other side. Harry looked back again and saw the Clearwaters enter as well. Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every colour wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted to one another over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks. The first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of the window to talk to their families, some fighting over seats.

Harry turned around to find Penelope hugging her mother while her brother Justin was making crying faces and teasing her. This brought a wistful smile on his face as he imagined life with his parents. He was quickly brought out of his reverie when William came towards him.

"Thank you very much for letting me stay at your home for the summers. It was the best summer I ever had."

William just waved it off good naturedly and said, "Don't worry Harry. I can say this without a doubt that we all enjoyed your company. In fact we consider you a part of family now. So no need to say thank you. We all will be eagerly waiting for your next visit. Now have a good year and remember to send letters."

Harry smiled and shook hand with him.

"So buddy, you going away. Now I won't have anyone to beat the shit out of. How sad!" Justin said mockingly.

"Oh really! Who was applying Anti-bruising salve on his wounds in the morning? If my memory serves me right it was you not me. So think before you wish my dear friend." Harry said cheekily. Justin just laughed it off and gave him a hug while ruffling his hair.

Finally Anne came towards him smiling and engulfed him in a warm hug. "It was very nice to have you in my home young man. It felt like you were staying with us for years." She let go and kissed his forehead but not before whispering, "You be careful this year sweetie. And you make sure you take care of Penny. Make sure she takes care of herself and doesn't get lost in books all the time. Also remember to send letters regularly." She said to him seriously.

Harry nodded his head before kissing her cheek and saying good-bye to the rest of the family and jumped on the train. He browsed through the compartments searching for his friends and found them in the middle of the train. He entered the compartment to find Terry, Padma, Anthony, Su, Neville, Hermione and Morag already sitting. The ride to Hogwarts went peacefully though their compartment received a lot of visitors. Susan and Hannah popped in for a few minutes followed by Daphne, Tracey and Blaise. The whole ride passed while playing chess, Gobstones, Exploding snap and eating various sweets. Finally the train reached the Hogsmeade station and they all crammed their pockets with the last of the sweets and joined the crowd in the corridor. The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform.

Harry shivered in the cold night air. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Harry heard a familiar voice: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry?" Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads.

"Hi, Hagrid!" Harry yelled to the gigantic man at the end of the platform.

A hundred horseless carriages stood waiting for them outside the station. Harry, Su, Hermione and Padma climbed into one of them, the door shut with a snap. Harry looked out the window in the front and saw beautiful skeletal horses. A few moments later, with a great lurch, the long procession of carriages was rumbling and splashing its way up the track toward Hogwarts. The large amount of kids walked in through the great oak doors. They entered the great hall and Harry felt a rush of happiness go through his body at the sight of it.

Innumerable candles were hovering in midair over four long tables, making the golden plates and goblets sparkle. The students took their seats and Hermione said, "I'll see you later." and took off to the Gryffindor table.

Harry was right in between Padma and Anthony. The doors opened and dozens of tiny first years walked in and gasped looking up and pointing at the ceiling. The sorting took place while they all waited for food to appear. All of them were feeling hungry and couldn't wait for the sorting to finish. Finally the last student was sorted and Dumbledore got up from his throne like seat.

"Welcome," he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Now I know that you all must be very hungry so I will keep it short. All I have to say for now is Tuck in!" He said lastly and sat back down.

Then came the feast that Harry always adored when coming to Hogwarts. On the table in front of him was a large variety of foods: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, veal, sausages, steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, corn, gravy, ketchup, and peppermint humbugs.

After the feast Dumbledore formally announced Glideroy Lockhart as the new DADA professor. This caused the female population to dissolve into fits of giggling which got a reply in the form of a full blown smile and wink from the aforementioned professor. Harry was amused to find the reaction of Professor Snape as he became even surlier, if that was even possible while glaring at Lockhart.

The Headmaster dismissed them with usual instructions. The sound of benches skidding across the floor filled the hall and people shuffled their way out the doors. They walked past muttering portraits and creaking suits of armour, and climbed narrow flights of stone stairs, until at last they reached the passage where the secret entrance to Ravenclaw Tower was hidden, behind the door with eagle shaped brass knocker. All of them retired early for the night since they were very tired from the long train ride and went for a good night sleep.

Harry awoke early the next morning as the sun's rays peeked over the mountain and shone in his face through the window of the first year boy's dorms. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he looked around for his glasses and used them to see the time, it was still only six in the morning and his roommates were still asleep. Deciding to get an early start to the day, Harry grabbed a pair of shorts and went for his morning run around the lake. It was followed by stretches and the martial arts practice.

After completing the exercise, he headed for the Ravenclaw tower and took a long shower. Harry got ready for the day, picked his backpack and went down to the common room where he found Padma and they headed down to Great Hall for breakfast. They received their time-table from Professor Flitwick and finished their breakfast. A note from Professor McGonagall arrived in the morning post which asked him to meet her in her office after breakfast.

Harry quickly got up and headed towards the Deputy Headmistress's office. He knocked thrice and received a stern "Come in" as response. Harry entered to find himself looking at Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick having tea.

"Have a seat Potter." McGonagall said.

"As we already told you, both of us wish to teach you outside of Hogwarts curriculum since we feel that you have an affinity as well as passion for our fields. You have already agreed to this additional tutoring. Before we go any further, there are some things that we wished to discuss with you. You will be having Monday evening with me and Friday evening with Professor Flitwick. Also since we don't want to advertise your additional tutoring, we will be using a special device called time-turner which will allow us to be very discrete. No one will need to know about it."

Harry looked a bit confused about time-turner but when McGonagall explained about it, he could only shake his head in awe.

"When do we start?" Harry asked excitedly.

Both Professors smiled and Flitwick replied, "If you wish, we can start from tonight."

"That would be most suitable Professor." With that Harry took his leave while feeling giddy at the prospect of receiving private lessons from the best instructors of the world as well as gaining extra time.

He skipped towards his first lesson of the year which was Herbology. They studied about a screeching plant called Mandrakes whose cries were fatal to humans. The rest of the day passed as expected. And what truly went as expected, as far as Harry was concerned, was the DADA lesson. Lockhart had started the lesson with the single word '_Me_', pointing at his image on the cover of one of his books and making some stupid joke about his smile. The green eyed boy didn't need anything more to confirm that the whole year was going to be a complete disappointment. And, though no confirmation was needed, the test Lockhart handed out served to do just that; fifty-four questions on himself later -with only Hermione getting all of them correct- it was a mostly amused class at which the Defence Professor introduced the creatures they would learn about that day.

"Yes." Lockhart announced, lifting the sheet that covered a large cage on his desk with a flourish, "Freshly caught Cornish Pixies." People chuckled around Harry and he smiled a bit himself. Now Cornish Pixies were a nuisance but as long as they were kept locked… Harry blanched as Lockhart moved towards the cage. Lockhart pulled the latch of the cage which caused all the pixies to fly out and cause a pandemonium in the classroom. Finally when harry saw that the Professor would not be able to control the situation, he whipped out his wand and cast "Immobulus" which caused all the pixies to freeze. Till then Lockhart had run away from the class.

Apart from DADA, all other classes went normally the whole week. Since Harry already knew the material that was covered in the Charms and Transfiguration classes, Harry decided to utilise that time to practice the spell that was being taught non-verbally and if possible, wandlessly. So as not to attract unwanted attention, he had transfigured a normal wood in the shape of his wand and waved that for practicing wandless magic. Though he was not that successful in doing spells wandlessly, he still felt that he could achieve it given more time. Potions went without a hitch, though the continued staring was getting on Harry's nerve even though he was avoiding it as much as he could.

His private lessons with McGonagall and Flitwick were very exciting and knowledgeable. Both began from scratch explaining him each and every aspect of their respective subjects which was much more detailed then what was explained in classes earlier or in any book. They explained the why's and how's very deeply. After the lessons, Harry got to know several new ways of applying spells that he had already learnt. Also he understood for the first time what finesse of performing a spell actually meant. Another exciting feature was the use of time-turner. It was a new experience and very helpful since it allowed him to attend these classes without raising suspicion among his friends. Even though he had friends he could trust, Harry didn't want anyone to know his true abilities. He considered it a side-effect of living first eleven years of his life with just himself to rely on.

Quidditch practice also started in the second week as Ellwood was very determined and motivated to win the Quidditch cup again. Though their first match with Hufflepuff was scheduled to be in the end of October, Ellwood felt that they need to start practicing early since Slytherin had the distinct advantage of Nimbus 2001s that was 'donated' by Lord Malfoy. Also he knew that Gryffindor captain Oliver Wood had already started training the team. So in order to keep up with them they had to put some extra effort. Though grudgingly, team conceded to his well thought reasoning and agreed to it. Harry also personally thanked Madame Hooch as it was because of her that Harry could attend the summer training of Puddlemere United though she waved it off saying that he deserved to be there.

Next few weeks passed rapidly with Harry falling into the usual Hogwarts routine. The class work was just a revision for him since he had already studied ahead. The study group continued to meet daily in library but Harry felt that they needed a place where they could study, practice spells and even enjoy a bit. He started scouting the castle for a vacant room that served his purpose. Lockhart's useless lessons continued where he imitated his past encounters with danger. Though Harry wasn't opposed to watching Lockhart making a fool out of himself, he still felt that it was wastage of time. The only people who felt that the class was worth it just after a month of classes were the fan-girls of the celebrity.

Apart from Professor Lockhart, another person who was constantly testing Harry's patience was a first-year Gryffindor, Colin Creevey who roamed all around the castle with a camera in his hand and clicked photos of Harry whenever he could since he was in awe of the Boy-Who-Lived. One more person that got on his nerves was Ginerva Weasley, a first-year Gryffindor and youngest sister of Ron and Weasley Twins. Whenever she saw him, she squeaked, followed by blushing bright red all over and then running away from him. Though it was funny in the beginning but slowly this behaviour was starting to irritate him a lot.

Halloween was just a week away and Harry was coming back from the Room of Requirements when someone tapped on his shoulder. Harry turned around to find himself looking at a girl who looked to be in her sixth or seventh year with unnatural looking bubblegum pink hair tied in a pony tail that fell below her neckline.

"Wotcher Harry, I'm Tonks, your cousin. You exchanged letters with my mother."

Realisation dawned on Harry's face and he replied, "You are Andromeda's daughter, Nymphadora right?"

Anger coursed through her face while she clenched her fist while her hair changed rapidly through various shades of red which Harry found quite intriguing.

"Don't call me Nymphadora or else you will be on the wrong end of my wand and let me assure you that I know quite a few embarrassing hexes. Call me Tonks, just Tonks."

"Okay Tonks, I'm Harry James Potter as you already know. Lets walk and talk, shall we?" They proceeded towards the courtyard.

They sat down on stone bench and talked about whatever caught their fancy. Harry found that Andromeda was disowned from the Black family because she married Ted who was a muggleborn. He also got to know that she was a metamorphmagus and could change her appearance at will. Also that he was the first family from Andromeda's side that Tonks had talked to. He also found that she was trying to enter the Auror's academy after her graduation which he felt was quite brave and ambitious. He was also quite happy to find out that Tonks was very in-tune with the Muggle world and was a fan of a lots of musical bands. She went to clubs regularly during vacations and was a beater for Hufflepuff Quidditch team.

Harry too told her about his experiences in the magical world. When talking about the Professors, Harry found it quite hilarious when she made faces at the mention of Snape. The imitation of Potions masters' crooked nose and his infamous sneer was also quite perfect. In all Tonks was quite a funny girl and impressed him a lot. He got a surprise when he found out that she practised duelling on her own in an abandoned classroom as she wanted to get an apprenticeship under legendary Alastor Moody. Harry quickly asked to be allowed to see the practice to which she reluctantly agreed but only after lots of puppy-eyed looks from the boy. It was almost dinner time when they departed with Tonks promising to invite him to her practice session.

That is how Harry found himself in an abandoned classroom on the fifth floor watching as Tonks went through complex motions. The girl had set up several 'targets' which were probably chairs transfigured into human like dummies placed randomly around the room that were charmed to sporadically move in a certain way every so often. It was as if she were practicing for a war of sorts with the way she was firing off stunning, disarming, bludgeoning, and blasting hexes with great accuracy at each target and every time one dummy got destroyed, it would reform magically and continue with its previous task.

Harry continued to watch the heavily concentrating girl for a further five minutes who was now panting heavily and sweating up a storm from dodging and rolling away from invisible spell counter-fire he guessed while countering with her own spells. If he was honest, he would definitely say he was impressed - never before had he seen someone taking their studies to this level before.

Finally, the charms on her targets ran out and they fell to the floor as regular old chairs, closely followed by the girl who fell on her back and looked up to the ceiling while panting hard and trying to regain her breath.

"That was fantastic dear cousin. If you keep it up, I think you would achieve what you wish for." Harry said certainly impressed by her determination to succeed.

"You think so? I still feel I need to do a lot more. My biggest problem is that I'm a klutz. I also need something firing spells at me. Also my spell repertoire is not as good as I like to believe. I completely blame the DADA teachers for that. I don't know when was the last time that a professor could stay for more than a year." Said Tonks frustratingly.

An idea popped in Harry's head which could be profitable for both him and his cousin.

"I think I have a solution to your problem, but it would cost you something." At Tonks questioning look he continued, "I would take you to a place which would be perfect for your training. But in exchange you would have to teach me two spells every fortnight, one defensive and one offensive. Also you will not tell anyone else about this place since this is where I myself practice spells and no one knows about it."

Tonks immediately agreed to it and told him to take her to that place immediately. So Harry showed her the Room of Requirements. When Tonks got to know the full description of the room, she hugged Harry very hard while squealing and saying Thank you over and over again.

In the end Harry felt that he had done quite well for himself as he was receiving tutoring in Transfiguration and Charms from the teachers while DADA from a seventh year Hufflepuff.

Finally it was Halloween and Harry woke up to find heavy rain splashing against the glass windows. He was feeling a little depressed thinking of his parents and was having a little lie in when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head to find himself looking at the concerned eyes of Penelope. She was still in her pyjamas.

"Make room for me." She ordered and lied down with him on his bed and held him protectively.

" You know your parents won't like it if you keep mourning for them on a festive date. You should be out there, enjoying with your friends. That would make your parents more happy." Harry hmmm'ed grumpily and shut his eyes even more tightly. He knew that Penelope was right but he couldn't act normal on this day since it took every chance of having a normal life away from him. It was the only day when he felt that being insensible was justified.

After an hour of lying in, during which all his roommates got dressed for the day while wiggling eyes at him for having an older girl in his bed, which Harry promptly ignored, Penelope got off his bed and pulled him up forcefully and shoved him into the bathroom ordering him to get ready and left to do the same in her dorm. After that the whole day passed normally even though Harry felt gloomy the whole time. Finally the feast started where Weasley Twins pulled a prank on the Slytherins by making all their ties turn into snakes. After the screeching of snakes and screaming of Professor McGonagall on twins had subsided, dinner went normally. But that was too much to ask for on a Halloween day as they were subjected to the drama that went on due to petrification of Mrs. Norris, the pet of Mr. Filch. Along with that, the declaration that Chamber of Secrets was once again opened made sure that rumour mill of Hogwarts would remain quite busy for the next few days. Hermione and Padma found out all they could about the Chambers with which Harry understood that he had to hide his Parseltongue ability from everyone since he could not afford to risk letting his ability out as it would put the blame on him. He did not tell anyone about his ability as he didn't want to risk exposure at any cost.

The Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin took focus from the Chamber incident and life of the school came back to normalcy. The game in itself was brutal. Even though the Gryffindor team was more talented, they were easily out flown by the Slytherins because of the superior brooms. The saving grace for the lions was that somehow due to the foolishness of Draco Malfoy, Gryffindor was successful in catching the snitch which ensured that they did not lose by a very big margin.

Unfortunately Chamber once again became the talk of Hogwarts because Heir of Slytherin took out another muggle-born, Colin Creevey. The first-year was also petrified, similar to Mrs. Norris. This attack caused tense atmosphere in whole castle and Duelling lessons were added to the schedule of every student. Harry hoped that Professor Flitwick would teach them since he was a former Duelling Champion but he only got disappointment since Lockhart was the one appointed to be their instructor with Professor Snape as his assistant though the latter seemed to be trying to kill the former with a look. Only interesting moment was when Snape ordered Harry to fight Marcus Flint, a seventh-year Slytherin, hoping to embarrass Potter, but this turned out to be a mistake since Harry complete dominated and humiliated Flint by using shields, dodges and pranking spells. After Harry was finished with him, Flint was a laughing stock of whole school since he appeared to be a half clown-half monkey. Snape tried to deduct points for pranking but Lockhart just waved it off saying that it was a part of duel, not prank.

Finally the day of Quidditch match between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff arrived. The team was confident since they had practiced hard in the last month and were playing with the same team whom they had defeated last year. The game started without a glitch and it became clear from the start that blue was easily out-flying yellow. After an hour of game the score was 180-60 in favour of Ravenclaw. During this time, Snitch was only visible twice, but both the times it evaded the grasp of Potter and Diggory. At one instance, Cedric was close to catching the golden ball but thanks to the distraction caused by the bludger, he lost sight of the tiny ball, causing Harry to take a sigh of relief.

Things were going swift for Ravens when suddenly a bludger went rogue and started chasing Harry all over the stadium. Harry tried to evade it but was unsuccessful. Even when the Beaters tried to deflect it, bludger seemed to ignore the hit and kept chasing the Ravenclaw seeker. Harry was getting tired very quickly due to the rogue bludger and knew that he could not keep it up much longer. Just then he caught sight of Snitch. Unfortunately Diggory too caught sight of it and was much closer to it. Even then Harry raced towards the Snitch with the bludger following him all the way. Both seekers were neck-to-neck while chasing the snitch through the foundations of stadium. Neither wanted to back-out of the chase and snitch seemed relentless in its attempt of evading capture.

After about fifteen minutes of neck-to-neck chase during which each person on the field was watching them, Harry got a slim chance and he leaned forward, his left arm stretching out when suddenly out of nowhere the rogue bludger impacted on the outstretched hand making sure that multiple bones got broken. The sudden impact and pain caused Harry to swirl off the path. He somehow managed to stay on broom but that moment was enough for Cedric to gain the lead. The Snitch suddenly took a dive towards ground and both the seekers followed. Harry was feeling unfocused and losing consciousness but his competitive streak wouldn't let him give up on the chase. Each turn and twist was causing him more and more pain but he ignored it in favour of the Snitch since he knew that whoever caught the snitch would win the match. Even though both seeker were side-by-side, Cedric was still ahead and much more in position to capture the golden ball. Just as Cedric was about to catch the ball which was reaching the ground at a high speed and Harry had almost lost hope, he sensed the rogue bludger coming from his side. Knowing that Cedric won't be able to see the incoming bludger since his body wa in the way, he dodged at the last moment which caused the bludger to slam into Diggory who had no clue about it. The sudden impact took him out of the chase. Harry took his remaining hand off his broom and made a wild snatch; he felt his fingers close on the cold Snitch but was now only gripping the broom with his legs, and there was a yell from the crowd below as he headed straight for the ground, trying hard not to pass out. With a splattering thud he hit the mud and rolled off his broom. His arm was hanging at a very strange angle; riddled with pain, he heard, as though from a distance, a good deal of whistling and shouting. He focused on the Snitch clutched in his good hand.

"THIS WAS THE BEST CHASE FOR SNITCH I'VE EVER SEEN. THESE TWO ARE UNDOUBTEDLY THE BEST SEEKERS HOGWARTS HAS SEEN SINCE CHARLEY WEASLEY. WELL DONE HARRY POTTER AND CEDRIC DIGGORY. THE RAVENS CONTINUE THEIR UNDEFEATED STREAK SINCE LAST YEAR AND WIN BY 360-140."

Harry was still lying on the ground with a snitch in one hand and broomstick rolled to his side when everyone ran towards him among whom Professor Lockhart took out his wand and performed a spell which caused all the bones to vanish from his hand. Before he could do anymore harm, Ellwood levitated him to the Hospital Wing while swearing words which caused all other team members to blush bright red. Cedric too was taken to the Hospital wing but was discharged after an hour. Unfortunately Harry had to spend a night since all the vanished bones had to be regrown using skele-gro. His friends and Quidditch team stayed with him until Madam Pomfrey chased them away while saying that he needed rest. After much cajoling though she allowed Penelope, Hermione and Padma to stay for a little longer. Finally they had to leave too, and Harry was the only one left apart from the resident healer.

He was still thinking on how to pass the time since he was in no mood to sleep and the regrowing bones was causing a constant itch and he was in need of serious attention diversion when a brilliant idea came to his mind. He called Madam Pomfrey and asked

"Madam, I always wondered what was the difference between you and the healers at St. Mungos? I know it's not the correct time to ask these questions but i need to think of something else apart from the pain and this conversation might be productive."

Madam Pomfrey knew about the brilliance of the young Potter in academics so she answered very carefully, "Healers at St. Mungos are much more particular in the field of application while I'm more of a General Healer though with a Journeyman status in Children healthcare and Psychology. Is this noble profession interesting you by any chance? I took you more of a Auror or Professional Quidditch Player stuff."

Harry just shrugged off the expected part and said, "I have not decided anything till now Madam. I am just keeping all the options open and exploring each one of them. How can I decide on what to choose till I don't know what each option has got to offer? Though I was wondering if you could teach me at least basic first-aid since I seem to find myself in situations where I usually get hurt even though I try my best not to get involved."

"That is something you have inherited from your father Mr. Potter. Either it was him finding trouble or trouble finding him. End result was the same, his presence in this Infirmary. I guess it is quite necessary for you to know about basic medical aid, otherwise you will only harm yourself. Also it's been a long time since I taught anyone. So if you are sure, you may come every Wednesday evening. We will see if you have the finesse, patience and temperament to be a good healer. Even if not, I could still teach you basics."

Harry profusely thanked her for the favour but Madam Pomfrey shut him up and told him to sleep now or otherwise she would cancel the lessons. This motivated Harry to find sleep in a few minutes. When she looked at him ten minutes later, Pomfrey found him sleeping with a content smile on his face which caused a small smile to grace her face too. She silently dimmed the lights and retired for her sleeping quarters.

Next morning Harry woke up to find his bones back in their place. After a quick check-up, he was allowed to head to the Great Hall for breakfast. As soon as he entered the Great Hall, the Ravens gave him a standing ovation for his brilliant performance the day before. Harry just blushed a little and headed to his place between Terry and Padma while accepting wishes from everyone. Thankfully it was a weekend so he did not worry about the classes. He was wolfing down the breakfast when post arrived and to his surprise Hedwig bought him two letters. First one was from Professor Flitwick who asked for his presence in his office after breakfast. Other letter was an invitation from Narcissa Malfoy asking him to attend the Christmas ball being held at the Malfoy Manor. Harry knew he had to go since he had acknowledged her as his family member and it would be rude not to go.

Harry along with his friends was getting out of Great hall when he suddenly caught sight of Cedric Diggory eating with his friends at Hufflepuff table. He headed towards him and tapped on his shoulder. Cedric turned and was surprised to see Harry standing there.

"Hi Harry! How is your hand?" Cedric asked.

Harry smiled a little and said sheepishly, "Madam Pomfrey made sure it was fine. I just came here to say sorry for tricking you yesterday with the bludger. It was nothing personal and everything I did was for winning the game. So I hope you understand."

"Don't worry Harry, it was just a part of the game. That bludger went rogue and was chasing you whole time putting you at a great disadvantage. Turning it into your favour was talent, not cheating. So no hard feelings from my side. You won fair and square, though I'll make sure next time it's you who gets defeated." Cedric said in jest.

"Dream on Diggory. You will never beat me." Harry replied with a smirk. He said goodbye and headed back to his friends who were waiting for him.

"That was a noble thing you did there Harry. I'm proud of you." Padma said while giving him a hug. Harry just shrugged and kept walking towards the office of Professor Flitwick. As he entered the office he found a surprise waiting for him. Along with his Head of the House, sat Madam Hooch, Richard Wellington, Manager of Puddlemere United and the coach Paul White. Last time Harry saw them was at the summer training camp and there was no reason for them to be present in the school.

"Good morning Professor, Madam Hooch! Mr. Wellington and Coach, what a surprise to see you here of all places. I thought you would be busy with the preparations of the Premiere League Tournament." Harry asked totally surprised.

" Mr. Potter, they have come here because they have a proposition for you." The hawk-eyed Flying Instructor said excitedly.

"Mr. Potter, our veteran seeker Louis Roberts has suffered a serious injury because of which he won't be able to play for at least a year. This has come at a point when we can't interchange players or train anyone new. Since you have spent a summer with us already, we felt that you were our best choice at the moment." Explained the manager.

Harry went in a shock and whispered, "what do you mean?"

Paul was getting irritated with the dumb look Harry was giving and said, " He is saying that we are offering you a place in our squad as the Reserve Seeker for Puddlemere United."

Harry finally snapped out of the shock and asked, "But what about my school and classes? I don't want to sacrifice my academics right now. Also if somehow, I manage to attend the practice sessions as well as the games, won't I be too young? League players would be at least eight to ten years older than me with much more physical strength and experience. I mean, I heard the word Quidditch last year for the first time for Merlin's sake. How do you expect me to compete with the professionals?" During the monologue Harry was getting hyper at the proposal because of its madness.

"We were in the stands yesterday observing you the whole time. You played phenomenally well even after getting hit by the bludger and the manoeuvres you performed were nothing short of fantastic. You underestimate yourself too much Harry. The truth is I've never seen a more gifted player than you in my life." Paul said with confidence.

"As for the academics part, rest assured Harry that you won't be missing out on anything. You are not the first student to be approached by a League team though certainly the youngest by a wide margin. Charley Weasley also played professionally in his seventh year for a short period of time. Your practice sessions will be on the weekends, so that won't interfere with your studies. During the Christmas break, you can attend on the weekdays too. On the days of matches, we can easily make exceptions for you. Though you will have to somehow manage all this along with your other commitments and that is going to be difficult for you." Flitwick explained rationally.

Harry sighed dramatically and bowed his head while contemplating the merits and demerits of the choices offered to him. He felt like his brain would burst from all the thinking it was doing at a very rapid pace. "I need some time to think properly. I would also like to consult with a few people before I give you any answer." Harry said to the manager.

"That is fine with us but please try to be quick because we have already lost quite a bit of time and we can't afford to lose it anymore. Hoping for a favourable reply from you Mr. Potter. Have a nice day! Thanks for the tea Filius." With that, both professionals took their leave along with Hooch.

Harry was silent for a few minutes and Flitwick seemed to be in no hurry as he was silently watching him thinking very hard. He was inwardly proud of the fact that Harry was being so mature about all this since he knew that almost everyone else would have jumped at the chance of going professional as it was a dream of almost every child as they grew up. Still Harry was contemplating all the angles before taking any final decision.

"You do know that if I accept the offer, I won't be able to play for Ravenclaw House Team anymore, don't you?" Harry asked the teacher.

"I know that very well but be assured that every member of the house would be proud of you even though our chances of winning the Quidditch cup might be lesser. It is going to be your decision Harry. Remember we are all with you regardless of whatever you decide. This is the contract they have left for you. Read it carefully and make a smart decision." Flitwick answered passionately.

"Also we found out that the bludger that went rogue on you yesterday was actually jinxed by a house-elf. He is the same one who intercepted your letters in the summer. He has resisted being caught till now and unfortunately we don't know his master. Therefore I have asked the house-elves of the castle to make sure that he doesn't interfere with your life anymore."

Harry was feeling overwhelmed with all the information he received and thus took leave while thanking the Charms master. That evening as the study group gathered in their corner of Library Harry shared his predicament with all of them. Everyone was completely shocked at the offer made to him. All the boys-Terry, Anthony, Neville and Blaise were staring at him in awe and were in favour of him joining the game as saying no was not an option. Tracey, Hannah, Morag and Su were also of the same opinion. On the other hand Padma and Hermione were completely against it saying that it would greatly hamper his studies and he was still too young to participate in a game where deadly injuries were a normal occurrence.

Only Susan and Daphne didn't voice their opinions. When Harry asked them privately, they had the same answer, "Do what makes you feel happy. Don't think of anything else." Penelope also had same thoughts. Though she was worried for his well-being, she knew how much he liked the game. Also she knew it was once-in-a-lifetime opportunity which deserved to be pursued. In the end Harry signed the contract and personally handed it over to Professor Flitwick who was overjoyed with his decision and wished him luck.

Next morning, Harry was dreading the owl-posts since he knew that the news of his induction in Puddlemere United would be mentioned in the Daily Prophet. His doubts were confirmed when everyone started pointing to him as soon as they saw the newspaper. Dumbledore stood at that moment and said

"It is my extreme honour to inform all of you that one of our own, Mr. Harry James Potter has agreed to be the new Reserved Seeker for Puddlemere United. Let me tell you that he is the youngest ever player of the Professional Quidditch. We wish him all the luck and hope that he will continue to achieve such milestones in his life and make Hogwarts proud. Unfortunately due to being a Professional Quidditch player, he won't be able to play the Inter-House Quidditch Championship, but I guess every good deed requires some sacrifice and all of you would support him in this endeavour."

Harry was expecting bad reactions from his teammates and housemates. Also he suspected that people would think that he got the position because he was the Boy-Who-Lived. Suddenly there was an influx of activity and before Harry knew what was happening, he found himself on the shoulders of his teammates who were cheering the hardest for him along with the whole house. Harry was surprised when all the other houses also started clapping for him. Finally after everyone had calmed down. Ellwood said

"You know it will cause a lot of problems for us, don't you Harry? But since you are going pro, I guess we could make an exception. But you will be responsible to train the next Ravenclaw seeker, got it?"

Harry just nodded while thanking all his teammates for their support and understanding. The classes after that continued normally though Harry continued to receive congratulations from well-wishers from all houses. He also got fan-mails congratulating him on his success among which Augusta Longbottom, Amelia Bones, Narcissa Malfoy and Andromeda Tonks were prominent ones. The letter from Narcissa also reminded him of the ball he had to attend at Christmas. This gave him a headache because he knew almost nothing about dancing and felt quite conscious of it.

In the end he decided that Daphne would be the best person to ask for help since she had grown up in the Pureblood Society and would be able to properly guide him through it. So he asked her to meet him in an abandoned classroom. She entered to find him leaning on the teachers' desk while tapping his feet impatiently.

"What happened Harry? You called me here alone. You need something from me?" Daphne asked while sitting on a desk.

"Straight to the point Daphne. Well yeah I need your help. Look I've been invited to the Christmas Ball at Malfoy Manor but the problem is I've never been to any function like that and don't know what to expect. So I was hoping that you would guide me so that I don't make a complete fool of myself and Potter name." Harry said sheepishly.

Daphne thought for a while about his request and said "You are sometimes a bit rough at edges. That needs to be taken care of. Apart from that, I'll need to see the dress robes you are planning on wearing. And lastly we will have to see how you do the Waltz, because that is the customary dance that need to be performed in Formal events like this. There are quite a lot of other things but you don't have much time so I guess we will just stick to the basics and make sure you don't embarrass yourself too much."

With that started the torture session of Harry Potter. Daphne was enjoying herself a bit too much since she finally found something Harry was terrible at: dancing. Harry tried his best to learn the complicated dance moves but couldn't seem to get the fluidity and natural grace required for a dancer. Daphne teased him a lot telling him that he could perform complex spells but was unable to dance.

Apart from the torture he was suffering from Daphne, he was attending classes, special sessions with Tonks, McGonagall, Flitwick and Pomfrey. He was advancing pretty well with Tonks as they Duelled regularly which in turn honed their reflexes. As the spell repertoire of Harry was growing, he was beginning to become a challenge for Tonks. He had come close to defeating Tonks quite a few times but was missing narrowly. His sessions with McGonagall and Flitwick were also going excellently. They were now proceeding with the work of third year and with the pace they were going, Harry was hoping to achieve OWL level till the end of the year. His first class with Pomfrey turned out to be a test of sorts where she carefully inspected his wand work which had improved exponentially due to private lessons from the best masters of transfiguration and charms. Once satisfied, she started to teach him about the basics which included a summary of information about human body and basic spells and potions. She was very happy with his ability to quickly grasp the spells but wanted him to be a bit more patient and less temperamental.

In addition to that he had started attending practice sessions with Puddlemere United which in itself was very physically taxing. He was on fixed diet and exercise regime as suggested by the fitness expert of the team. He had to do those exercise every day without abandon. The remaining time was spent studying or having fun with the study group.

Once a month he also was tasked by Ellwood to train the new seeker of Ravenclaw team, a pretty third-year by the name Cho Chang. She was quite fast at the broom and fluid, but lacked the proper instincts required to be a seeker. But still she was the best choice in Ravenclaw after Harry. He tried his best to get her in frame with other team members. It was a bit difficult at first but Harry felt that she would do alright in the end.

Harry along with Padma had decided that their group had become too big to be contained in a corner of Library. So they proposed the idea of shifting to the room which was occupied by Fluffy last year. Everyone welcomed it and they cleaned the room and got the required furniture with the help of house-elves. They had set up the room such that it had space for group study, spell practising and games like Gobstones and Exploding Snap. It was like a small sanctuary for them to act the way they wanted to. Harry had asked for permission from Professor McGonagall to which she had instantly agreed and complimented him for trying to form friendships beyond the boundaries of houses. That is how the end of the year approached and soon came the time to say goodbye to all the friends since they were going to their homes for Christmas. Though Harry was invited by many of his friends, he decided to spend it at Hogwarts since he wanted some peace from the regular cluster of people that seemed to be present all around him during the whole year.


End file.
